HANDBOOK  OF 
COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


IVA  MYERS  WEBBER 

UC-NRLF 


THE  PALMER  COMPANY 


IWaiJ%U.H.WMiW%%%l'i«MrtlM*>i 


HANDBOOK 


•    »    1  • , 


OF 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


BY 


IVA  L.  MYERS  WEBBER 


THE  PALMER  COMPANY 

120  boylston  street 

Boston,  Mass. 


■••:-:•■..••:: 


Copyright  1913,  by 

THE  PALMER  COMPANY 

Boston,  Mass. 

EDUCATION  DEFr* 


Nhwcomb  &  Gauss,  Printers 
Salbm,  Mass. 


FOREWORD  TO  TEACHERS 

An  English  course  that  assists  a  pupil  to  earn  a  livelihood 
and  to  become  a  useful  member  of  society  is  of  practical  value. 
This  handbook  of  Commercial  English  has  been  prepared  to 
supply  Commercial  schools  with  a  suitable  text-book  for  special 
training  in  English,  including  grammar,  punctuation,  composi- 
tion, letter-writing,  etc.,  necessary  to  fit  students  for  sten- 
ographic and  clerical  positions.  Through  her  experience  as 
business  college  and  high  school  teacher,  the  author  was  led 
to  see  the  need  of  practical  training  in  everyday  Business  Eng- 
lish. This  book  is  the  outgrowth  of  many  years  of  experience, 
and  the  results  obtained  by  its  use  amply  justify  the  author 
and  the  publishers  in  presenting  it  to  English  teachers. 

The  adjustibility  of  the  work,  as  outlined,  to  one  or  two 
years  of  any  high  school  is  one  of  its  strong  features.  The 
subject  may  be  made  intensive  by  extending  it  to  outside  mate- 
rial. In  addition  to  supplementary  work  from  newspapers  and 
magazines,  debating  may  be  correlated  with  the  plan  offered 
with  very  beneficial  results. 

To  meet  the  need  for  a  practical  knowledge  of  business  cor- 
respondence, which  has  grown  up  with  the  extension  of  higher 
Commercial  education,  the  author  endeavors  to  present  infor- 
mation upon  letter-writing  that  is  up-to-date  and  applicable  to 
modern  business  methods. 

Correspondence  is  taken  up  at  the  beginning  and  carried 
on  through  the  whole  work.  This  plan  avoids  crowding  this 
important  subject  into  the  latter  part  of  the  course  and  per- 
haps slighting  it.  One  letter  a  week  should  be  assigned  to  the 
pupils  for  proper  preparation.  These  letters  should  be  cor- 
rected by  the  teacher,  and  the  errors  discussed  in  class,  after 
which,  where  necessary,  re-writing  should  be  required.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  designate  a  certain  day  of  the  week  (say  Friday) 

iii 

541975 


IV  FOREWORD 

as  letter  day,  with  the  understanding  that  all  correspondence 
will  be  brought  in  at  that  time. 

Rules  and  principles  of  Grammar  are  essential  as  a  basis, 
whether  correction  or  construction  is  desired ;  consequently,  the 
very  fundamentals  of  sentence-building,  parts  of  speech,  and 
their  misuses  should  be  carefully  studied.  Enough  technical 
grammar  is  given  to  enable  one  to  recognize  ordinary  mis- 
takes and  to  know  how  to  correct  and  avoid  them. 

In  order  to  cultivate  within  the  student  a  keen  discrimination 
in  the  use  of  words,  some  time  is  given  to  the  subject  of  syno- 
nyms. With  each  lesson,  this  work  should  be  taken  up  first, 
and,  if  properly  handled,  the  pupil  will,  as  a  result,  enter  with 
more  interest  and  freedom  upon  the  discussion  of  other  sub- 
jects taken  up  in  recitation. 

There  must  be  a  working  knowledge  of  grammar  —  an  un- 
derstanding of  the  relations  of  one  part  of  a  sentence  to  another 
—  before  punctuation  can  be  properly  determined.  The  sim- 
plest rules  possible  for  punctuation  are  given,  and  as  large  an 
experience  as  possible  in  their  use  is  recommended.  The  author 
though  realizing  her  indebtedness  for  assistance,  and  desiring 
to  express  her  appreciation,  has  derived  from  so  many  and 
varied  sources  helpful  suggestions  in  arranging  her  work  for 
actual  practice,  that  it  would  be  an  impossibility  to  give  indi- 
vidual credit.  That  teachers  may  find  in  this  book  a  guide 
for  more  effective  and  satisfactory  instructions  in  English,  is 
the  earnest  wish  of  the  author. 

TO  STUDENTS 

To  the  many  students,  whose  words  of  appreciation  have  en- 
couraged the  author  in  her  work  as  teacher  of  English,  is  large- 
ly due  this  effort  on  her  part  to  prepare  a  book  that  she  be- 
lieves will  be  a  helpful  guide,  not  only  to  the  stenographer 
and  bookkeeper,  but  to  any  one  needing  practical  assistance  in 
the  use  of  correct  English. 


CORRESPONDENCE 

LESSON  I 

At  this  time  in  the  history  of  Commercial  education,  there 
is  required  an  accepted  form  for  a  business  letter,  a  deviation 
from  which  indicates  not  only  bad  taste,  but  ignorance.  Paper 
used  for  business  letters  should  be  of  regular  size,  about  8^ 
inches  in  width  and  11  inches  in  length. 

Framework. 
This  accepted  form,  called  letter  framework,  must  be 

1.  Clear  —  easily  understood. 

2.  Convenient  —  easily  arranged. 

3.  Conventional  —  of  uniform  adoption,  to  facilitate 
correspondence  to  the  business  man  whose  time  is 
money. 

Essentials. 
This  Framework  embraces  six  parts,  viz, 

1.  Heading  —  Number  and  Street  —  Place  —  Date. 

2.  Address  —  Name  and  Address  of  Correspondent. 

3.  Salutation. 

4.  Body. 

5.  Complimentary  Close. 

6.  Signature. 

Heading. 

The  Heading,  2^  inches  from  the  top  margin,  if  consisting 
of  more  than  ^  a  line,  should  occupy  two  lines  or  more  and 
should  begin  at  about  the  middle  of  the  typewriter  scale,  unless 


2  *     ...  HANDBOOK  OF 

""  '•  *  '  the  •heading  be' short,  when  it  may  be  moved  to  the  right.    The 
punctuation  is  indicated  below: 

904  Market  St., 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  April  21,   1913. 

19  Center  St., 

St.    Louis,   Mo.,  April   21,    1913. 

April 
Ex.  of  Block  Heading.  Twenty-first 

1913. 

Inside  Address. 

The  address  of  the  correspondent  should  be  written  in  full ; 
begin  two  double  spaces  below  the  last  of  the  Heading,  and  to 
the  left,  at  O  or  at  5  on  the  scale.  At  least  a  half-inch  margin 
should  be  made  xmless  the  letter  is  short,  —  when  its  width  is 
increased. 

The  second  line  of  the  heading  should  begin  at  from  5-10 
spaces  to  the  right  of  the  initial  letter  of  the  first  line  in  ordi- 
nary correspondence,  and  be  so  arranged  that  no  line  will 
occupy  more  than  one-half  the  distance  across  the  page,  and 
should  be  punctuated  as  indicated  below: 
Messrs.  Jones  &  Greene, 
234  Lincoln  Ave., 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

A  form  which  is  meeting  with  favor  from  both  employer 
and  stenographer  is  the  following,  which  aids  materially  in 
getting  out  a  large  number  of  letters : 

Mr.  Harry  Richards, 
234  Clarendon  St., 
Boston,  Mass. 


i      ;  i      '  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  3 

LESSON  II 

Salutation. 

The  salutation  consists  of  the  formal  address,  and  depends 
upon  the  relation  existing  between  the  writer  and  the  corre- 
spondent. 

When  a  letter  is  not  regarded  as  personal,  as  when  written 
to  high  officials  in  the  military  or  government  service,  the  of- 
fice rather  than  the  man  is  addressed. 

Proper  Forms :     President  of  the  U.  S. 
To  the  President. 
Sir: 
Cabinet  Officers. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy.      ,     ij 
Sir:  '       • 

The  ordinary  business  letter  requires  Dear  Sir:  or  Gentle- 
men: according  to  whether  the  letter  is  addressed  to  one  or 
more  than  one  gentleman. 

If  the  salutation  consists  of  more  than  two  words:  as,  My 
dear  Sir,  only  the  first  and  last  words  have  initial  capitals. 

The  salutation  should  begin  on  the  scale  at  the  same  point  at 
which  the  address  is  begun  and  should  be  followed  by  a  colon. 
Examples : 

1.  Mrs.  B.  C.  Roberts, 

654  Delma  Ave., 

Los  Angeles,  Calif. 
Dear  Madam: 

2.  Mesdames   Gray  and  Smith, 

785  Howard  St., 
Chicago,  111. 
Ladies : 


^  HANDBOOK    OF 

3.  Miss  Helen  Grant, 

242   Willow  St., 

Sacramento,  Calif. 
Dear  Miss  Grant: 

4.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  G.  Harter, 

1108  West  Helena  St., 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 
Dear  Sir  and  Madam : 

A  minister  may  be  addressed  as  follows : 
1.     Rev.  John  Brown. 

2-     Rev.  Mr.  Brown.    But  never  as  Rev.  Mr.  J.  Brown. 

Body. 

The  body  should  begin  at  1 5,  and  consist  of  a  series  of  para- 
graphs, each  of  which  treats  a  different  subject  or  a  different 
phase  of  the  same  subject.  Sometimes  the  first  paragraph 
is  indented  at  20,  and  all  others  at  15,  unless  the  letter  is  very 
short  and  wide  margins  are  desired,  in  which  case  the  inside 
address  may  be  dropped  a  considerable  distance  below  the 
heading,  and  the  letter  double-spaced.  The  paragraph  of  a 
hand-written  letter  should  be  indented  half  or  three-quarters 
of  an  inch.  It  is  bad  form  to  carry  the  last  line  only  of  a 
paragraph  to  the  next  page.  Carry  at  least  two  lines.  Never 
begin  a  line  with  a  figure,  —  write  the  number  in  full.  Too 
much  care  cannot  be  exercised  in  the  matter  of  paragraphing 
—  if  it  is  correctly  done,  a  glance  will  reveal  the  proper  in- 
formation. 

Usually,  letters  of  any  length  are  most  desirable  single- 
spaced,  double-spaced  between  paragraphs.  The  second  and 
following  sheets  should  bear  the  initials  of  the  person  addressed, 
and  the  page  of  the  sheet  —  thus,  W.  E.  Wilson,  page  2,  would 
be  WEW — 2 — ,  or  W.  E.  W.  2.  Ordinarily  an  inch  of  space 
should  be  left  on  the  left  margin,  and  a  trifle  less  on  the  right. 


commercial  english  5 

Complimentary  Close. 

In  order  to  avoid  discourtesy  it  is  customary  to  add  a  com- 
plimentary closing,  which  should  usually  begin  at  35,  or  in  the 
middle  of  the  sheet,  the  first  word  only  being  capitalized,  the 
punctuation  should  be  as  follows: 

Thanking  you  for  prompt  attention,  I  am, 

Yours  truly, 

In  case  it  is  desirable  to  follow  the  plan,  advocated  by  some 
business  men,  of  omitting  the  comma  after  we  are,  follow 
this  form: 

Hoping  the  goods  may  open  to  your  entire  satisfaction,  we 
are 

Yours  respectfully. 

Signature. 

The  name  of  the  person  writing  the  letter  should  now  be 
written  in  full,  and  is  equally  binding  in  ink,  pencil,  or  printed 
with  a  rubber  stamp.  The  signature  should  begin  farther  to 
the  right  than  the  complimentary  closing;  if  written  for  some 
one  else,  "per"  or  "by"  should  precede  the  signature.  A  lady 
should  not  fail  to  precede  her  name  by  Miss  or  Mrs.  In  order 
to  avoid  legal  complications  when  doing  business  for  a  corpora- 
tion, the  office  of  the  writer  should  be  clearly  indicated. 

Two  double  spaces  should  be  allowed  below  the  complimen- 
tary closing  for  signature. 

Examples : 

1.  California  Compounding  Co. 

per  John  F.  Thomas. 

2.  California  Compounding  Co. 
-    per  John  F.  Thomas,  Sec. 


6  handbook  of 

Enclosures. 

Should  there  be  one,  two,  or  more  enclosures,  write  End.  1, 
End.  2,  etc.,  in  the  lower  left-hand  comer  of  the  last  sheet. 

The  word  "Dictated"  followed  by  initials  of  the  dictator  and 
stenographer,  or  the  initials  only,  should  be  placed  at  the  lower 
left-hand  corner;  as,  JMG/AMJ.  If  the  stenographer  is 
known  by  a  number  use  this  form,  JMG-6  or  JMG/'6. 

Folding. 

The  proper  folding  of  a  letter  and  placing  of  it  in  the  envelope 
should  be  carefully  executed.  A  lack  of  courtesy  at  this  point 
cannot  be  disregarded.  The  letter  should  be  so  folded  and 
placed  in  the  envelope  that,  when  removed  and  opened,  it  will 
be  right  side  up,  and  right  side  out,  ready  for  reading. 

To  fold  the  ordinary  business  sheet,  place  the  lower  edge 
next  to  you,  and  fold  over  from  below  until  the  lower  edge  is 
within  J^  inch  or  less  of  the  top  of  the  sheet,  then  turn  the  sheet 
so  that  its  right  margin  will  be  toward  you  and  fold  from  you 
until  over  a  little  more  than  a  third  of  its  width,  then  fold 
down  the  upper,  left-hand  margin  over  that  already  folded; 
then,  with  the  free  edges  up,  place  it  in  the  envelope,  which  is 
held  in  your  left  hand,  with  the  flap  next  to  it  extending 
toward  the  right  hand. 

Envelopes. 

The  ordinary  business  size  is  No.  6^ — measuring  3y2'ii6 
5/16  inches. 

The  address  in  full  of  the  correspondent  should  occupy  at 
least  three  lines,  beginning  on  the  first  line  below  the  middle  of 
the  envelope,  measuring  from  the  top. 

Insert  a  business  envelope  in  the  machine  until  only  the 
lower  part  is  visible  above  the  carriage ;  this  will  give  a  .proper 
position  for  the  starting  point. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 

The  general  form  is: 


Messrs.  Jones,  Thomas  &  Co. 

543  Montgomery  St., 
San  Francisco, 
Cal. 


Postal  authorities  advise  placing  the  street  and  number  in  the 
lower  left  hand  comer.  Some  firms  prefer  the  name  of  the 
city  upon  the  same  line  with  that  of  the  state. 

LESSON  III. 
Composition  of  a  Business  Letter. 

If  the  framework  of  a  business  letter  is  important,  even 
more  so  is  its  composition. 

Requisites. 

1.     Brevity:  —  A  business  man  has  not  time  to  spend  over  a 

lengthy  letter  when  a  brief  one  will  answer  all  purposes; 

neither  should  the  letter  be  so  brief  as  to  fail  to  convey  all 

necessary  inquiries  or  information. 

By  the  New  York  Herald,  96%  of  the  applicants  replying 

to  an  advertisement  were  rejected  because  of  brevity. 


8  HANDBOOK  OF 

2.  Terseness:  —  Combines  brevity  and  smoothness. 

3.  Correctness:  —  As  regards   Grammar,  Orthography,  Cap- 
italization, Punctuation. 

4.  Clearness: — The  facts  should  be  well  in  hand  and  arranged 
systematically.     Clearness  can  be  attained  by  the  follow 
ing: 

(a.)     Use  of  words  that  mean  to  the  reader  what  they 

mean  to  the  writer, 
(b.)     Natural  arrangement  of  parts, 
(c.)     Using  pronouns  in  such  a  way  that  their  antecedents 

are  plainly  indicated, 
(d.)     Avoiding  long  sentences, 
(e.)     Omitting  no  necessary  words, 
(f.)     Proper  punctuation. 

5.  Completeness:  —  No  omission  of  essentials  —  adequate  in- 
formation, etc. 

6.  Exactness:  —  Careful  attention  to  details,  letter-form,  ad- 
dresses, etc.,  leaving  no  opportunity  for  misunderstanding. 

7.  Personal  in  tone :  —  Written  as  one  person  would  talk  to 
another. 

8.  Unity:  —  Logical  arrangement.     All  parts  connected. 

9.  Method:  —  Ideas  so  classified  that  the  letter  will  stand 
out  as  a  whole. 

10.  Force:  —  Relates  to  effect  of  expression ;  if  properly  com- 
posed and  arranged,  a  letter  will  not  only  attract  and 
hold  attention,  but  will  be  convincing. 

11.  Courtesy:  —  One  of  the  most  essential  qualities.  Main- 
tain your  own  dignity  by  respecting  the  dignity  of  others. 
Rudeness,  curtness,  sarcasm,  are  less  excusable  in  writing 
than  in  conversation ;  calm  and  courteous  treatment  brings 
results. 

If  you  7nust,  write  a  letter  when  angry,  but  do  not  mail  un- 
til the  following  day,  when  it  will  be  promptly  delivered  to  its 
proper  place  —  the  wastebasket. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  9 

LESSON  IV. 
Correspondence  Hints. 

1.  Abbreviations  in  the  body  of  letters  should  be  avoided ;  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  the  following:  inst.,  ult.,  prox.,  viz.,  with  a 
very  few  others. 

2.  If  the  place  is  small,  be  sure  to  write  name  of  county. 

3.  Write  dates  in  the  heading  in  numerals;  as  Jan.  2,  1913. 
In  the  body  it  may  be  followed  by  th.  if  preceding  the' 
month;  as  the  10th  of  January. 

4.  Amounts  may  be  written  in  full,  followed  by  figures  in 
parenthesis,  or  in  full  without  figures  frequently  with  fig- 
ures alone. 

5.  Figures  in  social  letters  are  not  used,  except  to  indicate  the 
street  number ;  the  date  being  spelled  in  full,  and  placed  at 
the  close  of  the  letter. 

6.  The  age  of  a  person  should  be  written  out  in  full. 

7.  The  title  Messrs.  is  used  before  firm  names  ending  with 
&  Co.,  but  is  not  used  when  &  is  omitted. 

8.  The  tendency  is  to  omit  the  sign  of  the  possessive  from  the 
titles  employed  by  business  firms  and  corporations;  as,  the 
Studebaker  Bros.  Manufacturing  Company  instead  of  the 
Studebaker  Bros.'  Company. 

9.  The  personal  pronoun  *T"  at  the  beginning,  and  its  fre- 
quent repetition  through  the  letter  should  be  avoided,  when 
possible. 

10.  Worn-out  expressions  should  be  avoided ;  as,  In  reply  to 
yours,  etc. 

11.  Miss  is  not  an  abbreviation  and  does  not  require  a  period 
after  it. 

12.  Avoid  using  two  titles  together,  except  Rev.  Mr. 

13.  Flattery  should  be  avoided,  but  proper  courtesy  brings  its 
reward. 

14.  Slovenly  typing  or  writing  is  inexcusable. 


10  HANDBOOK  OF 

15.  Do  not  use  %  for  c/o,  which  means  care  of. 

16.  The  envelope  should  be  of  the  same  color  and  quality  as 
the  paper  upon  which  the  letter  is  written. 

17.  When  de  or  le  precedes  a  name  with  Mr.  or  Mrs.  each 
should  be  capitalized;  viz,  Mrs,  De  Stael  —  but  if  pre- 
ceded by  Monsieur  or  Madam,  each  should  be  in  small 
type,  as  Madam  de  Stael. 

18.  Guard  against  making  the  right  margin  too  narrow. 

19.  Do  not  misdirect  and  then  censure  the  postal  department 
for  non-delivery.  Thirty  thousand  pieces  of  mail  are  sent 
to  the  Dead  Letter  Office  every  day,  because  of  careless 
mistakes  made  in  addresses. 

Exercise  I. 
Write   headings,    introductions,    salutations,   complimentary 
closings,  and  signatures  for  five  letters  from  as  many  differ- 
ent places. 

Exercise  II. 
Punctuate,  capitalize  and  arrange  the  following  according  to 
instructions,  being  careful  to  indicate  not  only  heading  and 
address,  but  salutation,  complimentary  closing  and  signature, 
also : — 

1.  Syracuse  n  y  sept  4  1912 

2.  510  fourth  st  galveston  tex  mar  18  1913 

3.  2000  south  St  Chicago  ill  feb  19   1913 

4.  208  state  st  Chicago  ill  feb  19,  1913 

5.  auditorium  building  Chicago  ill  aug  19  1913 

6.  messrs  boone  &  curtis  208  water  st  st  louis  mo 

7.  mrs  James  bigedow  18  s  market  st  minneapolis  minn 

8.  prof  robert  e  ely  ann  arbor  mich 

9.  j  w  foster  &  son  897  e  roberts  st  st  paul  minn 

10.  rev  d  m  woolson  3835  chestnut  st  Philadelphia  pa 

11.  misses  brown  &  thurston  4768  wabash  ave  Chicago  ill 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  U 

12.  sarah  m  jollyman  19  broad  way  n  y 

13.  mr  &  mrs  james  finley  406  main  st  grand  rapids  mich 

Exercise  III. 

From  ruled  paper  cut  ten  6J^  envelopes  and  address  them  to 
as  many  different  persons. 

LESSON  V. 

Credits  and  Collections. 

The  subject  of  handling  accounts  is  an  important  one  and 
should  be  thoroughly  discussed  in  class.  If  the  following  are 
properly  assigned  to  the  pupils,  much  valuable  information  will 
be  gained  and  an  interesting  recitation  made  upon  this  sub- 
ject :  — 

1.  Give  two  reasons  why  all  business  firms  do  not  follow  a 
uniform  practice  in  handling  accounts. 

2.  Even  though  one  business  firm  differs  from  another,  is 
there  always  a  definite  basis  upon  which  the  credit  relations 
are  established  ? 

3.  Name  three  ways  in  which  a  bill  may  be  collected. 

4.  How  is  the  business  world  kept  informed  of  the  credit 
standing  of  business  concerns ?    Is  it  important?    Why? 

5.  What  two  classes  of  debtors  are  to  be  found  in  the  business 
world  ? 

6.  What  point  of  difference  would  you  make  in  dealing  with 
these  two  classes? 

7.  How  would  you  determine  the  form  of  a  personal  letter  re- 
questing payments? 

8.  What  two  things  are  to  be  avoided  in  demanding  settle- 
ment? 

9.  Is  there  any  regulation  against  envelopes  or  postal  cards 
bearing  printed  reading  matter  that  is  detrimental  to  the 
reputation  of  the  business  of  the  receiver? 


12  HANDBOOK   OF 

REMITTANCES. 

1.  Registered  Letter. 

(a.)     Advantages, 
(b.)      Disadvantages. 

2.  Postal  Money  Order. 

Objection. 

3.  Express  Money  Order. 

Compare  with  Registered  Letter  and  Postal  Money 
Order. 

4.  Bill  of  Exchange  or  Bank  Draft. 

Collection  and  Exchange. 
Define. 

5.  Check. 

( a. )     Personal. 

(b.)      Certified. 

Make  distinction  between  (a.)  and  (b.) 

Objection  to  filling  the  check  out  payable  to  bearer. 

(c.)      Cashier's  check. 

Compare  with  Bank   Draft  and   Certified  Check. 

Where  issued? 

6.  Certificate  of  Deposit. 

7.  Stamps. 

8.  Money. 

9.  Telegram. 

Letter^  Bearing  Remittance. 

A  letter  of  enclosure  should  always  contain  a  statement  as 
to: — 

1.  Form  of  remittance    (whether   Draft  or   Post  Office 
Order,  etc.) 

2.  Amount  sent. 

3.  Its  purpose.     (How  the  remittance  is  to  be  applied.)' 


commercial  english  13 

Model. 

156  Wabash  Ave., 
Chicago,  111.,  May  26,  1913. 
The  Palmer  Company, 
120  Boylston  St., 

Boston,  Mass. 
Gentlemen : 

Enclosed  you  will  find  a  money  order  for  Three  Dol- 
lars, to  renew  my  subscription  to  Education  for  the  year  be- 
ginning Sept.  1,  1913. 

Yours  truly, 

Charles  Estes. 
End. 
C.  E.  —  J.  M. 

LESSON  VI. 
Letter  Filing. 

In  order  to  preserye  letters  and  records  which  may  contain 
information  of  value  for  future  requirements,  a  systematic 
method  of  filing  should  be  thoroughly  understood  by  the  office 
assistant.  To  be  able  to  find  needed  information  without  any 
undue  loss  of  time,  is  a  very  important  feature  of  Business 
Correspondence.  While  each  firm  should  have  a  filing  system 
suited  to  its  peculiar  needs,  there  are  certain  principles  under- 
lying all  good  systems.  The  modern  systems  might  be  grouped 
under  three  heads,  the  Loose-leaf,  the  Shannon,  and  the  Verti- 
cal. 

The  Loose-leaf  is  probably  the  simplest  —  the  letters  being 
placed  in  a  flat  drawer  containing  a  book  which  holds  between 
its  leaves  the  filed  papers.  This  book  is  indexed — ^usually  alpha- 
betically —  and  each  leaf  has  a  tab  at  the  side  bearing  a  printed 
letter  of  the  alphabet.    For  a  large  correspondence,  this  system 


14  HANDBOOK  OF 

is  inadequate,  and  the  careful  arrangement  of  correspondence 
is  somewhat  burdensome. 

The  Shannon  System  consists  of  a  board  bearing  two  curved 
pieces  of  steel  forming  two  arches  fastened  at  the  top.  A 
perforation  is  made  at  the  top  of  the  letter,  which  is  placed 
upon  the  spindle  when  the  arches  are  turned  aside.  The  cor- 
respondence is  filed  between  pasteboard  guides  bearing  a  printed 
index  at  the  right  side.  These  letters,  already  filed,  can  be 
thrown  over  the  top  of  the  arch,  the  arch  opened,  and  a  new 
letter  slipped  on  the  file  and  the  arch  again  closed,  making 
all  secure.  Letters  so  arranged  can  be  examined  without  tak- 
ing off  the  file,  but  this  system  is  not  rapid,  nor  are  the  letters 
well-preserved  as  they  may  be  easily  torn. 

The  Vertical  is  the  most  modern  system,  and  is  similar  to 
the  plan  used  by  libraries.  The  letters,  which  are  spread  open, 
are  filed  in  Manila  folders,  and  laid  in  a  deep  drawer.  One 
side  of  the  folder  projects  beyond  the  other,  and  bears  a  letter 
of  the  alphabet,  a  number,  or  the  name  of  the  firm  whose  let- 
ters are  filed  therein.  The  Vertical  file  may  be  arranged  —  1. 
Alphabetically  —  the  correspondent  whose  name  begins  with  C 
would  have  his  correspondence  filed  under  that  letter,  etc. 
2.  Geographically  —  all  letters  coming  from  a  certain  locality 
would  be  filed  under  the  name  of  the  city,  territory,  state,  or 
country.  3.  Numerically  —  for  large  correspondence  an  un- 
limited number  of  letters  can  be  filed  by  this  method  —  simply 
a  number  is  substituted  for  a  name.  4.  Topically  —  in  some 
cases  it  is  more  convenient  to  group  correspondence  according 
to  a  topic  or  subject,  and  all  letters  bearing  upon  a  certain 
topic  are  filed  together  under  that  title. 

Card-Index  File  —  A  separate  index  may  be  used  with  all 
the  foregoing  systems  and  cards  are  arranged,  usually  alpha- 
betically, in  a  small  box  bearing  necessary  information  as  to 
where  the  correspondence  can  be  found.  The  custom  of  hav- 
ing a  carbon  copy  of  the  reply  to  any  letters  made  upon  the  back 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


IS 


of  the  one  received  is  inconvenient,  and  is  passing  out  of  use — 
copies  of  replies  are  usually  filed  with  the  original  letter  and 
in  this  way  all  necessary  records  are  kept  together. 

Proof  Marks. 

It  is  often  desirable,  even  necessary,  to  know  the  marks  used 
by  the  printer  to  indicate  errors  in  proof.  These  marks  are 
few  in  number  and  not  difficult  to  learn.  Most  of  them  will 
be  found  in  the  back  part  of  the  dictionary,  but  for  convenience 
they  are  printed  here. 


X    Change  bad  letter. 

L^   Move  over. 

X   Push  down  space 
y  Turn  over 

Q  ;  Em  quad  space. 

^  Take  out  (^^/^). 

/^y     One-em  dash. 

/Y  {  Left  out ;  insert 

/mimf  Two-em  dash. 

^t£"  Insert  space. 
y  ]  Even  spacing. 

€T      Paragraph. 

^  j  Less  space. 

Kolf  No  paragraph. 

5    Close  up  entirely. 

\iJO^* .  Wrong  font 

O    Period. 

r«-....!  Let  it  stand. 

4/  Comma. 

%tet.     Let  it  stand. 

^  Colon. 

(if^       Transpose. 

ij   Semicolon. 

Coipa  Capital  letters. 

^  Apostrophe. 

f .  C.     Small  caps. 

SQ^  Quotation. 
•/  Hyphen. 

(^  Straighten  lines. 

l^  C*     Lower  case  or 
small  letters. 

(Hal.    Italics. 
B(m.  Roman. 

16  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  VII. 

Sentence  Structure. 

Essentials. 

1.     Every  sentence  must  contain  two  essentials  —  Subject  and 
Predicate;  example:  Stenographers  must  work. 

Subordinate  Elements. 

A  sentence  may  contain  one  or  all  of  the  following  subordi- 
nate elements :  — 

(a.)      Predicate  Complement;  ex.:  "The  lesson  is  long." 
(b).     Object  Complement;  ex. :  "I  learned  the  lessons." 
(c).     Adjective    Modifier;    ex.:    "Long   lessons   may   be 

learned." 
(d).     Adverbial  Modifier;  ex.:  "The  lesson  was  quickly 

read." 

Prepare  5  examples  of  each. 

Phrases  and  Clauses. 

1.  Phrases',  A  group  of  words  without  a  subject  and  a  pred- 
icate, used  as  a  single  part  of  speech,  is  called  a  phrase. 
According  to  their  use,  phrases  are  classified  as  follows: 
Noun  phrases,  Adjective  phrases,  and  Adverbial  phrases; 
According  to  their  composition;  Prepositional,  Infinitive, 
and  Participial. 

2.  A  phrase  or  a  clause  takes  its  particular  name  from  the 
part  of  speech  the  work  of  which  it  performs. 

A  Noun  phrase  is  one  that  does  the  work  of  a  noun;  as, 
''The  School  of  Mechanical  Engineering  is  very  popular." 
An  Adjective  phrase  is  one  that  does  the  work  of  an  ad- 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  17 

jective;  as,  **A  man  in  trouble  may  become  discouraged." 
Adjective  phrases  may  be  prepositional,  participial  or  infini- 
tive. An  Adverbial  phrase  is  one  that  does  the  work  of  an 
adverb;  as,  "The  teacher  came  into  the  hall"  "The  in- 
strument was  dropped  in  haste." 

Adverbial  phrases  are  frequently  prepositional,  sometimes 
infinitive. 

Select  from  a  descriptive  article,  assigned  by  the  teacher, 
the  noun,  adjective,  and  adverbial  phrases,  and  indicate 
what  part  of  speech  each  modifies. 

3.  Clauses:  A  clause  is  a  group  of  words  which  contains  a 
subject  and  predicate,  and  is  named  for  the  part  of  speech 
the  work  of  which  it  performs;  as,  "There  is  a  horse  that 

is  gentle" 

Adjective  clause,  being  equivalent  to  kind. 
In  the  sentence,   "You  will  learn  where  you  study"  the 
clause  being  equivalent  to  an  adverb  of  time,  is  an  adver- 
bial clause. 

An  Absolute  phrase  has  for  its  principal  word  a  noun  or  a 
pronoun  that  is  the  subject  only  of  a  participle. 
An  Absolute  phrase  in  an  abridged  clause,  is  usually  ad- 
verbial. 

The  sentence,  ''His  evening  being  occupied  with  study,  he 
had  no  time  for  social  affairs,"  when  expanded  reads,  "Be- 
cause his  time  was  occupied  with  study  he  had  no  time  for 
social  aifairs." 

A  clause  placed  after  a  noun  or  pronoun  to  denote  the  same 
person  or  thing,  and  to  explain  more  clearly  what  is  meant 
by  the  noun  or  pronoun,  is  called  an  A p positive  Noun 
Clause. 

Bring  into  the  class  from  your  newspaper  or  magazine  read- 
ing, examples  of  the  different  clauses. 


18  handbook  of 

Kinds. 
There  are  four  kinds  of  sentences. 

(a.)     Declarative  —  which  states  a  fact;  as  ''Mary  went 

home.^' 
(b.)     Interrogative  —  asks  a  question;  as,  "Is  she  going?" 
(c.)     Imperative  —  a  command;   as,   "John,  study  your 

lesson." 
(d.)     Exclamatory  —  expresses  strong  feeling;  as,  "Oh! 

why  do  you  persist  in  wrong  doing?" 

Forms. 
With  regard  to  form,  sentences  are  either: — 

(a.)     Simple;  as,  "Business  Schools  prepare  for  business  life," 

(b.)  Complex  —  containing  two  or  more  clauses,  one  dependent 

upon  the  other;  as,  "The  boy*'who  is  well  prepared  should 

succeed." 

(c.)      Compound  —  containing     two     or     more     independent 

clauses;  as,  "The  stenographer  will  type  the  letters  and 

the  bookkeeper  will  keep  the  accounts." 

Designate  the  FORM  of  each  of  the  following  sentences : 

1.  "My  father  thinks  that  Mary  will  go  away  today." 

2.  "The  United  States  is  the  foremost  republic  in  the  world, 
and  it  is  also  the  largest.^' 

3.  "He  went  out  alone  but  came  back  with  a  friend." 

4.  "If  my  brother  has  no  money  he  cannot  go." 

5.  "The  mayor  was  a  man  who  despised  all  meanness." 

6.  "He  is  a  friend  of  everybody." 

7.  "That  hat  is  mine  and  this  book  is  yours." 

8.  "The  streets  of  this  town  need  attention." 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  19 

LESSON  VIII. 

Word  Study  Essentials. 

In  order  to  become  an  English  scholar,  to  be  master  of  a 
large  vocabulary,  three  essentials  are  necessary :  — 

1.  Pronunciation. 

2.  Orthography. 

3.  Definition. 

Synonyms. 

Synonyms  are  words  having  a  similar  meaning  in  general, 
but  differing  in  particulars.  A  proper  command  of  the  Eng- 
lish language  makes  a  study  of  Synonyms  absolutely  essential. 
Indeed,  by  the  careful  study  of  Synonyms  the  development  of 
easy  and  correct  expression  is  best  attained. 

If  carried  out  with  enthusiasm  and  intelligence,  on  the  part 
of  the  teacher,  this  feature  may  be  made  one  of  the  most 
interesting  and  helpful  divisions  of  this  work.  If  careful  at-, 
tention  is  given  to  this  subject,  the  pupil  will  not  only  be  as- 
sisted to  an  intelligent  use  of  the  words  contained  in  these  les- 
sons, but  he  will  soon  develop  the  "Dictionary  Habit"  and 
find  a  keen  pleasure  in  looking  up  the  meaning  of  other  words, 
that  are  brought  into  his  daily  life,  either  through  conversa- 
tion or  reading. 

In  fact,  this  phase  of  the  work  will  aid  the  student  greatly 
toward  making  a  choice  of  good  literature  rather  than  the 
cheap  variety  which  befogs  the  brain  and  leaves  the  mind 
filled  with  valueless  matter. 

"To  write  or  speak  to  the  best  purpose,  one  should  know, 
in  the  first  place,  all  the  words  from  which  he  may  choose, 
and  then  the  exact  reason  why  in  any  case  any  particular 
word  should  be  chosen." 


20  HANDBOOK   OF 

In  this  and  following  lessons  upon  the  USE  OF  WORDS, 
an  effort  will  be  made  for  the  building  of  a  vocabulary  that 
will  enable  the  student  to  make  an  intelligent  choice. 

Words  :  How  to  use  Them. 

Brave,  to  be  brave  one  meets  with  firmness  any  danger  which 
suddenly  presents  itself.  Courageous;  one  who  possesses  a 
disposition  to  meet  all  moral  emergencies  with  steadiness  is 
courageous.  Foolhardy,  to  be  foolhardy  is  to  deliberately  in- 
cur unnecessary  danger.  Rash;  one  who  thoughtlessly  plunges 
into  unnecessary  danger  is  rash.  Opportunity  refers  to  the 
time  which  is  to  one's  advantage  or  profit.  Occasion  is  an 
event  which  brings  a  cause  into  action  at  a  particular  moment, 
and  means  the  time  when  a  thing  ought  to  be  done.  Possible 
refers  to  anything  which  may  be  made  true  or  real.  Probable 
refers  to  anything  which  may  be  true.  Practical  refers 
to  that  which  has  been  put  into  practice.  Practicable  refers 
to  that  which  may  be  put  into  practice. 

Differ  with  is  used  when  disagreement,  dissent  by  word  of 
mouth,  antagonism,  or  dispute  is  indicated.  Differ  from  is  used 
when  dissimilarity  in  nature,  condition,  form,  or  quality  is  in- 
dicated. Mission;  that  for  which  a  person  or  thing  is  destined 
or  designed.  Ministry;  the  rendering  of  service.  Intention; 
act  of  designing.  Purpose ;  when  the  intention  matures  into  a 
determination  it  becomes  a  purpose. 

Supply  the  following  blanks  with  proper  synonyms : — 

1.  Mr.  Matthew  is  in  many  ways  a  fine  young  man,  but  I 
him  in  his  views  on  the  liquor  question. 

2.  May  will you,  I  am  sure. 

3.  Character reputation. 

4.  Why  did  John me? 

5.  He  has  entered  the  Presbyterian . 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  21 

6.  It  is  my to  follow  your  advice. 

7.  My in  learning  shorthand  is  to  enter  the  legal 

profession. 

8.  Her was  to  go  from  one  field  of  work  to  another. 


LESSON  XII. 

Write  a  Letter  Ordering  Goods^  Observing  the 
Following  : 

Essential  Points: 

1.  It  must  contain  a  clear,  precise,  itemized  list  of  goods 
required,  each  item  occupying  a  line,  the  arrangement  of 
which  is  very  important. 

2.  Quantity,  shape,  style,  and  size  of  goods  given. 

3.  Definite  directions  as  to  how  and  when  goods  are  to  be 
sent. 

4.  In  case  of  first  order  the  letter  should  contain: 

(a.)     Remittance  covering  cost  of  goods, 
(b.)     Satisfactory  provision  for   payment.      If   credit   is 
is  asked,  time  limit  should  be  stated  if  possible. 


General  Rule. 

Use  initial  capital  for  the  different  items  but  not  the  quan- 
tities; as,  pieces,  lb.,  doz.,  etc. 

Write  a  letter  to  the  Remington  Typewriter  Co.,  Chicago, 
111.,  ordering  Stenographic  supplies,  having  at  least  six  differ- 
ent items. 


22  HANDBOOK   OF 

(FORM  LETTER  shown  below.) 

Toledo,  Ohio,  May  1,  1913. 
Taylor,  Bruce  &  Co., 
14  Park  St., 
Boston,  Mass. 
Gentlemen ; 

Please  forward  the  following  goods  at  your  earliest  con- 
venience : — 

100  gross  Pens 
50  rms.  Foolscap 
4  gal.  Sanford's  Red  Ink 
10  gal.  Arnold's  Writing  Fluid 
12  doz.  Lead  Pencils,  Mercantile,  No.  2 
8  doz.  Stenographers'  Note  Books,  6x9 
1  doz.  Gregg  Shorthand  Dictionaries 
Kindly  ship  the  above  by  Boston  &  Maine  Freight  and  for- 
ward bill  to  our  office. 

Yours  truly, 

Arrange  the  following  order  from  Charles  K.  Johnson,  270 
Elm  St.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  the  Electric  Supply  Co.,  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  according  to  the  proper  form : — 

10  Electric  Newels,  oxidized  copper.  No.  1929 ;  20  Electric 
Fixtures,  polished  brass,  No.  509;  5  Wall  Brackets,  oxidized 
copper.  No.  15;  2  Combination  Fixtures,  5  gas,  4  electric,  pol- 
ished brass,  No.  709 ;  9  Pendant  Forms,  7  light  series.  No.  744. 
Goods  sent  by  freight. 

Ask  for  immediate  shipment  of  the  following  from  Sterling 
Hardware  Co.,  121  State  St.,  Pittsburg,  Pa.:  — 
4  gross  union  knobs ;  two  gross  4x4  butts ;  1  doz.  bronze  hinges ; 
j4  gross  coat  and  hat  hooks  (32)  ;  10  kegs  10  d  wire  Nails. 


commercial  english  23 

Compounds. 

Another  essential  of  Word-Study  is  an  understanding  of  the 
hyphen.    The  following  will  prove  helpful : 

Aids  for  Compounds. 

1.  If  the  second  noun  contains  the  first,  then  a  hypen  is 
used ;  as,  ice-box,  wood-box,  money-box. 

2.  Two  words  forming  a  descriptive  adjective  should  be 
compounded;  as,  six-inch  circles,  red-haired  boy. 

3.  Compounds  are  often  made  by  uniting  a  noun  with  a 
noun ;  as,  button-hook,  or  by  the  union  of  a  word  ending 
in  ING  with  a  noun;  when  the  meaning  of  these  com- 
pounds can  be  reversed  by  using  of  or  for,  the  compound 
should  be  hyphenated;  as,  shipping-case,  retailing-case. 

^4.     Niunbers  consisting  of  two  digits  are  compounded;  as, 
■         twenty-four,  forty-three. 

5.  Fractions  when  written  out  should  be  compounded;  as, 
three-fourths,  two-sixths. 

6.  When  foreign  phrases  are  used  or  words  that  have  become 
anglicized,  they  should  be  compounded;  as,  piano-forte, 
billet-doux. 

V  7.  Prefixes  not  consolidated  with  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  if 
placed  before  a  capital  letter  should  be  compounded;  as, 
anti-Democrat. 

8.  The  syllable  Fold  should  be  joined  by  a  hyphen,  pro- 
vided the  word  consists  of  more  than  one  syllable,  other- 
wise it  is  written  as  one  word;  as,  twenty-fold,  twofold, 
threefold. 

9.  The  words  half  and  quarter  are  compounded  when  pre- 
fixed to  the  noun,  as,  half-dollar,  quarter-pound. 

10.  Never  compound  today,  tomorrow,  and  tonight. 

11.  Usually  when  two  words  are  compounded  and  each  keeps 
its  original  accent,  the  hyphen  is  used ;  as,  snow-shoes ;  if 


24 


HANDBOOK   OF 


12. 


13. 


14. 


from  usage  its  accent  has  slipped  to  one  syllable  only, 
omit  the  hyphen;  as,  shorthand,  dressmaker. 
When  compounds  are  formed  by  the  union  of  a  possessive 
and  limited  nouns,  if  the  meaning  is  literal,  both  posses- 
sive and  hyphen  signs  disappear;  as,  doomsday,  trades- 
man ;  but  when  these  terms  have  not  a  literal  meaning,  as 
names  of  plants,  (hound's- tongue),  both  possessive  and 
hyphen  signs  are  retained. 

When  the  compound  terms  are  used  as  an  adjective,  both 
the  possessive  sign  and  the  hyphen  are  retained,  bird's- 
eye  view. 

Two  or  more  words  conveying  a  single  idea  should  be 
united.     Ex.:  beehive. 


Exercise  XII. 

Copy  the  following  list  of  words  according  to  the  helps  given 
above. 


ferryboat 

fiftyfold 

firearm 

fishingnet 

twent5rfive 

flagmen 

fencingmachine 

choppingknife 

flatheaded 

flatiron 

baywood 

foolscap 

sewingmachine 

eightday  clock 

goldpen 

football 


singingbird 

cottontail 

forearm 

forehead 

foreman 

fortuneteller 

coachdog 

coaloil 

cobblestone 

bandbox 

barkeeper 

cockcrowing 

caponstail  (plant) 

cardboard 

cardmaker 

catfish 


uptodate 

fourfold 

tenfold 

hundredfold 

quarterpound 

shorthand 

elsewhere 

Englishman 

everblooming 

blindfold 

blindmansbuff 

blueprint 

blackberry 

bishopswood  (plant) 

birdstongue   (plant) 

breastplate 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


25 


footman 

footprints 

tencent  toys 

cutandslash  fury 

retailingcase 

chewinggum 

Chinaaster 

Chinaman 

threefourths 

fantailed 

fatherinlaw 

feedroll 

curlyheaded  girl 

Anglo  Saxon 

hydrocarbon 

watermelons 

bookseller 


goldfish 

chestnut 

byword 

firstclass 

hillside 

schoolhouse 

twoinch  circle 

tenfoot  pole 

thirtyday  note 

farmhouse 

faultfinding 

feedingengine 

laughter  loving 

expresident 

feedingbottle 

selfconceit 

wideawake 


buckshead   (not  plant) 

busybody 

calfshead  (plant) 

bridesmaid 

flyupthecreek 

expressman 

eyeglass 

eyeball 

tenpound  weight 

oldfashioned 

feedbox 

antiRepublican 

wolfsbane  (plant) 

camelshair  shawl 

pitchfork 

carvingknife 

fifteencent  counter 


LESSON  XIII. 

Letter  Acknowledging  Remittance. 

Write  a  letter  to  S.  R.  Cooper,  Denver,  Colo.,  acknowledg- 
ing receipt  of  $150.00  in  full  of  his  account,  and  stating  that 
proper  credit  has  been  given  him. 

Syllabification. 

The  typist  experiences  much  difficulty  in  dividing  words  at 
the  end  of  lines ;  the  following  aids  may  prove  helpful. 

Aids  for  Syllabification. 

1.  Words  should  be  divided  usually  according  to  the  prefixes, 
suffixes,  or  grammatical  endings  if  they  have  any.  Ex. : 
re-new,  wis-dom,  rock-y,  ci-der. 


26  HANDBOOK   OF 

2.  Compounds  should  be  divided  into  the  simple  words  of 
which  they  are  composed.    Ex. :  mill-wheel,  tea-kettle. 

3.  When  the  derivation  and  pronunciation  seem  to  conflict, 
the  division  should  be  according  to  the  pronunciation  rather 
than  the  derivation.  Ex. :  rep-re-sent-a-tive,  pred-i-cate,  ref- 
or-ma-tion. 

4.  In  dividing  words,  give  every  syllable  all  the  letters  neces- 
sary to  the  correct  pronunciation  of  that  syllable.  Ex. : 
pref-ace,  na-tion. 

5.  A  word  having  two  or  more  syllables  may  be  divided  at 
the  end  of  a  line  but  only  at  the  end  of  a  syllable.  In  ap- 
plying this  principle  the  part  on  either  line  should  consist 
of  two  or  more  letters,  otherwise  the  word  should  not  be 
divided.  Be  careful  to  divide  the  words  so  that  there  will 
be  no  misconception.     Ex. :  occur-rences,  not  occurrenc-es. 

6.  Diphthongs  and  tripthongs  are  not  divided.  Ex. :  buoy-ant, 
loy-al,  boy-ish.  When  vowels  come  together  and  do  not 
form  a  diphthong  they  form  parts  of  separate  syllables 
and  they  may  be  divided.  Ex. :  zo-ol-o-gy,  co-op-er-ate, 
a-e-rial. 

7.  When  a  single  consonant  comes  between  two  vowels,  if  it 
does  not  shorten  the  sound  of  the  first  vowel  it  goes  to  the 
second  syllable.     Ex. :  re-bel,  re-sit,  co-zy,  cra-zy. 

8.  When  a  single  consonant  comes  between  two  vowels,  it 
goes  to  the  first  vowel  if  that  vowel  is  shortened.  Ex. ; 
reb-el,  heav-y. 

9.  When  a  mute  and  a  liquid  come  between  two  vowels  the 
same  principle  applies,  the  first  consonant  goes  to  the  first 
vowel  if  that  vowel  is  shortened.  Ex. :  cit-ron,  pat-ron-ize, 
but  when  the  first  vowel  is  not  shortened,  both  consonants 
go  to  the  second  vowel.    Ex. :  pu-trid,  pa-trol,  pa-tron. 

10.  When  a  liquid  and  a  mute  come  between  two  vowels  and 
blend  with  the  first  they  are  not  usually  separated.  Ex. : 
post-age,  west-ern. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


27 


11. 


12. 


When  a  liquid  and  a  mute  do  not  blend  with  the  first 
vowel  they  are  separated.     Ex. :  dan-ger. 
In  other  cases,  two  consonants  occurring  together  are  usu- 
ally separated.    Ex. :  col-lec-tion. 


Exercise. 

Syllabify  the  Following. 

afternoon 

improvidence 

thoughtfulness 

February 

neckerchief 

stencil 

furnished 

deliberate 

pronounce 

gentleman 

besotted 

double 

chilly 

loosen 

biology 

noble 

matron 

apostle 

numerous 

distilleries 

upward 

discussing 

spirit 

injury 

critically 

coming 

fastening 

commonplace 

received 

heinous 

plentifully 

interest 

prodigious 

palatial 

rebel 

truism 

feeble 

cylinder 

patronize 

neighbors 

beehive 

soldierly 

sculpture 

snow  shoes 

requisition 

professional 

royalty 

poorer 

father 

toying 

tuition 

misrepresent 

weighing 

college 

thorough 

portentous 

separate 

economy 

legislators 

pronunciation 

economical 

inevitable 

rebel 

reality 

multiplied 

stranger 

suspicious 

intemperance 

possession 

contention 

realties 

personally 

irreligious 

receives 
magistrate 

patron 

28  HANDBOOK   OF 

ADVERTISING 

Advertising  has  become  a  science,  and  to  be  a  successful  ad- 
vertisement writer  either  by  letter  or  otherwise,  one  requires 
enthusiasm^  concentration,  tact  and  patience.  The  writer  must 
believe  in  the  article  to  be  sold  and  in  himself  as  having  power 
to  make  a  forceful  appeal  to  the  public.  An  advertisement 
whether  for  the  newspaper  or  the  letter,  must  be  attractive,  in- 
teresting and  convincing. 

The  pupil  should  be  led  by  the  teacher  to  study  the  per- 
sonalty of  advertisements  in  different  newspapers,  to  find  one 
that  appeals  to  him  strongly,  and  give  to  the  class  his  reason 
for  being  attracted  by  it. 

The  dress  of  an  advertisement  goes  far  toward  its  success. 
What  is  said  and  how  it  is  said  should  be  carefully  studied. 
Simplicity,  style,  cut,  and  finish  are  very  important. 

The  writer  must  study  carefully  the  class  of  people  to  whom 
he  wishes  to  make  the  appeal.  In  some  cases,  then,  the  quali- 
ties of  goods  will  furnish  a  strong  argument  while  in  others 
the  cheapness  of  the  article  must  be  emphasized. 

By  careful  direction  of  the  teacher,  splendid  results  may  be 
attained  by  the  class  upon  this  subject.  An  advertisement  dis- 
play in  the  school  room  will  encourage  the  pupils,  and  aid  in 
developing  much  talent  in  advertisement  writing. 

A  picture  for  an  advertisement  is  desirable  if  the  advertise- 
ment is  to  be  found  in  the  picture,  otherwise,  it  will  gain 
nothing.  Study  successful  illustrating.  The  advertisement 
should  not  have  more  than  two  or  three  kinds  of  type,  and 
successful  advertisers  as  a  rule  find  it  more  profitable  to  use 
one  small  space  for  several  days  than  a  large  space  of  one  day. 
The  writer  of  advertisements  must  bear  in  mind  that  he  must 
leave  himself  in  the  background  and  write  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  buyer. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  29 

Having  carefully  studied  the  different  styles  of  advertise- 
ments, the  pupil  may  be  directed  to  write  one  of  his  own.  Exag- 
geration in  advertisement  writing  is  never  commendable,  and  to 
the  person  desiring  to  build  up  a  business,  it  will  bring  disas- 
trous results  eventually.  The  best  advertisement  for  any  firm 
is  a  satisfied  customer. 

The  following  questions  may  be  asked  by  any  one  studpng 
an  advertisement. 

1.  Is  it  attractive? 

2.  Is  the  beginning  bright,  strong  and  suggestive? 

3.  Does  it  give  good  reasons  why  the  reader  should  buy? 

4.  Does  it  answer  all  possible  objections? 

5.  Is  its  appeal  personal? 

6.  Are  the  strongest  selling  points  given? 

7.  Is  it  perfectly  clear? 

8.  Is  it  truthful? 

The  preceding  suggestions  for  advertisement  writing  may,  to 
a  considerable  extent,  be  applied  to  the  advertising  letter.  Make 
the  paragraphs  brief  and  frequent ;  the  first  will  be  more  effec- 
tive if  stated  interrogatively.  This  letter  needs  to  be  "boiled 
down,"  leaving  the  very  essence,  as  it  were,  for  time  is  too  val- 
uable for  the  busy  person  to  waste  in  laboring  through  a  long 
letter.  Yet  sufficient  information  must  be  given  to  convince 
the  reader  that  he  needs  the  article,  and  enable  him  to  decide 
instantly  to  obtain  it. 

Not  only  should  sufficient  information  be  given  to  convince 
the  reader  that  he  needs  the  article,  but  it  should  be  of  such  a 
nature  as  will  enable  him  to  decide  instantly  to  make  a  pur- 
chanse. 


30  HANDBOOK   OF 

ADVERTISING  LETTER. 
Five  Points  to  be  Observed. 

1.  Try  to  develop  a  keen  desire  for  the  article. 

2.  Write  from  the  customer's  point  of  view. 

3.  Prove  statements  made  as  to  its  value. 

4.  Be  enthusiastic  in  presenting  the  argument. 

5.  ,  Make  it  easy  for  the  customer  to  enclose  an  order  immedi- 

ately. 


From  the  following  suggestive  list  of  goods  select  a  specific 
article  upon  which  to  write  an  advertising  letter. 

1.  Breakfast  Foods 

2.  Soaps  ' 

3.  Books 

4.  Woolen  Fabrics 

5.  Groceries 

6.  Leather  Goods 

7.  Canned  Meats 

8.  Stationery 

9.  Roofing 

10.  Jewelry 

11.  Musical  Instruments 

12.  Magazines 

13.  Real  Estate 

14.  Automobiles 

15.  Agricultural   Implements 

16.  Furniture 

17.  Office  Devices 

18.  Machines — Typewriters — Sewing  Machines — Washing 
Machines,  etc. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  31 

LESSON  XV. 

Parts  of  Speech. 

Words  classified  according  to  their  various  uses  in  sentences 
are  called  PARTS  OF  SPEECH.  In  the  English  Language 
there  are  eight;  viz.,  Nouns,  Pronouns,  Adjectives,  Verbs,  Ad- 
verbs, Prepositions,  Conjunctions  and  Interjections. 

Nouns. 

A  Noun  is  the  name  of  a  person,  place,  object,  state,  or 
quality;  as,  Mary,  San  Francisco,  ball,  illness,  brittleness. 

Classes. 

Nouns  are  divided  into  two  classes  —  Proper  and  Common. 
A  Proper  Noun  is  the  name  given  a  particular  person,  place 
or  thing  to  distinguish  it  from  other  members  of  the  same 
class;  as,  Lincoln,  Los  Angeles,  Bible. 

A  Common  Noun  is  the  name  applied  to  each  of  a  class  of 
objects;  as,  boy,  book,  apple. 

Concrete,  Abstract,  Collective  and  Verbal  Nouns. 

Common  Nouns  include  four  classes;  viz..  Concrete,  Ab- 
stract, Collective  and  Verbal. 

A  Concrete  Noun  is  the  name  of  an  object  that  may  be 
seen;  as,  book,  horse,  man. 

An  Abstract  Noun  usually  denotes  an  attribute  abstracted 
(drawn  from)  an  adjective  or  a  verb;  as,  length,  virtue,  good- 
ness, strength,  application,  etc.,  and  is  always  singular  in  form. 

A  Collective  Noun  is  a  name,  in  the  singular  form,  denoting 
more  than  one  object  of  a  class;  as,  head,  company,  army, 
jury,  committee. 


32  HANDBOOK   OF 

The  Verbal  Noun,  or  the  Gerund,  is  a  noun  formed  from  a 
verb  by  adding  ING;  as,  singing,  painting.  It  may  be  used 
as; 

1.  Subject — Painting  is   delightful. 

2.  Object  —  I  enjoy  painting. 

3.  Object  of  preposition  —  I  devote  two  hours  each  day 
to  painting. 

4.  Predicate  Complement  —  Seeing  is  believing. 

5.  Modified  by   an  Adjective  —  Rapid   painting  is  not 
always  well  done. 

Properties  of  Nouns. 

Person,  Number,  Gender,  and  Case  are  called  the  Properties 
of  Nouns. 

Person. 

Person  is  the  distinction  of  nouns  to  denote  the  speaker,  per- 
son or  thing  spoken  to,  or  the  person  or  thing  spoken  of. 

First  Person  —  A  Noun  is  in  the  First  Person  when  it  de- 
notes the  speaker,  as,  "I,  John,  have  written  it." 

Second  Person  —  A  noun  is  in  the  Second  Person  when  it 
denotes  the  person  or  thing  addressed;  as,  "You,  Mary,  I 
mean." 

Third  Person  —  A  noun  is  in  the  Third  Person  when  it  de- 
notes the  person  or  thing  spoken  of;  as  "James  was  courage- 
ous." 

Number. 

NUMBER  is  that  change  made  in  a  noun  which  denotes  one, 
or  more  than  one. 

Singular  Number  denotes  one. 

Plural  Number  denotes  more  than  one. 


commercial  english  33 

Words:  How  to  Use  Them. 

Study  the  various  shades  of  meaning  in  the  following,  and 
use  them  correctly  in  sentences. 

Listen  means  to  strain  the  ear  to  catch  a  certain  sound. 
Attend,  to  hold  the  mind  fixed  upon  what  is  heard.  Hearken, 
to  reflect  conscientiously  upon  what  is  heard.  Ought  denotes 
obligation,  is  a  defective  verb,  and  should  never  be  used  with 
an  auxiliary;  as,  "She  had  ought  to  do  the  work."  Aught 
means  anything.     Naught,  means  nothing. 

General  Rules  for  Plurals. 

1.  Nouns  usually  form  their  plurals  by  adding  s  to  the 
singular;  as,  boy,  boys. 

2.  Words  ending  in  f  or  fe  form  their  plurals  by  changing 
the  f  to  V  and  adding  es;  as  wife,  wives;  knife,  knives. 

3.  Words  ending  in  y  preceded  by  a  consonant,  form  their 
plurals  by  changing  the  y  to  i  and  adding  es;  as,  baby, 
babies;  dairy,  dairies. 

4.  Words  ending  in  y,  preceded  by  a  vowel,  form  their  plu- 
rals by  adding  s ;  as,  chimney,  chimneys ;  valley,  valleys ; 
turkey,  turkeys. 

5.  Some  nouns  form  their  plurals  by  changing  the  form  of 
the  word ;  as,  child,  children ;  mouse,  mice ;  man,  men. 

6.  Some  nouns  ending  in  o,  preceded  by  a  consonant,  form 
their  plurals  by  adding  es;  musical  terms  excepted;  as, 
calico,  calicoes;  echo,  echoes,  potato,  potatoes;  piano, 
pianos;  solo,  solos. 

7.  Some  nouns  ending  in  o,  preceded  by  a  vowel,  form  their 
plurals  by  adding  s;  as,  cameo,  cameos;  folio,  folios. 

8.  When  a  singular  noun  ends  in  the  sound  of  s,  z,  x,  sh,  or, 
ch,  es  is  added  to  make  another  syllable;  as,  base,  bases; 
box,  boxes;  church,  churches. 


34  HANDBOOK   OF 

9.     Some  nouns  retain  the  same  form  in  the  plural  as  in  the 
singular;  as,  sheep,  sheep;  deer,  deer. 

10.  To  form  the  plurals  of  compounds,  pluralize  the  part 
which  names  the  object;  as,  tooth-brush,  tooth-brushes; 
hanger-on,  hangers-on;  aid-de-camp,  aids-de-camp. 

11.  Letters,  figures  and  signs  are  pluralized  by  adding  's; 
as,  a's,  4's. 

12.  Proper  nouns  form  their  plurals  in  the  regular  way;  viz., 
adding  s  or  es  to  the  singular;  as,  Mary,  The  Marys; 
John,  the  Johns ;  Beggs,  Beggses ;  Griggs,  Griggses. 

13.  Foreign  plurals  imported  into  the  English  Language  re- 
tain their  plurals,  and  in  many  cases,  when  commonly 
used,  they  have  two  plurals ;  viz.,  a  Foreign  and  an  Eng- 
lish: apex,  apexes,  apices;  cherub,  cherubs,  cherubims; 
focus,  focuses,  foci. 

14.  A  Prefixed  title  or  the  name  following  may  be  pluralized, 
but  both  should  never  be  pluralized  in  the  same  sentence: 
as.  The  Misses  Clark,  Messrs.  Thomas,  The  Miss  Browns. 

When  the  title  refers  to  several  names,  only  the  title  is 
made  plural  as,  Mesdames  Cook,  Osgood,  and  Gray. 
Drs.  Hill,  Carter,  and  Thomas. 

15.  Some  nouns  vary  their  plurals  according  to  the  use  of  the 
words;  as,  head,  heads;  brothers,  brethren;  pence,  pen- 
nies; brick,  bricks. 

16.  Nouns  formed  from  full  pluralize  the  last  syllable  when 
one  spoon,  or  one  cup  is  meant;  if  more  than  one,  the 
first  word  is  made  plural  and  the  words  should  be  writ- 
ten separately ;  as,  spoonfuls,  hatfuls ;  two  cups  full. 

17.  Compound  nouns,  not  hyphenated,  form  the  plural  by 
adding  the  required  letter  or  letters  to  the  last  part  of 
the  word;  as,  hatbands,  beehives,  snowbirds. 

18.  When  number,  half,  none,  or  dollar  is  used  to  express  a 
unit,  it  is  singular,  but  when  used  with  an  idea  of  several, 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


35 


19. 


20. 


it  is  plural;  as,  "The  number  is  said  to  be  less  than  it 
was  last  year.'' 

"A  number  of  students  are  to  be  graduated  today." 
"Half  of  the  paper  was  torn."  "Half  of  the  eggs  were 
broken."  "Was  there  not  a  book  for  me?"  "There  was 
none."  "Were  the  books  seen  on  the  table?"  "None 
were  seen."  "Fifty  Dollars  was  the  amount  paid."  "Ten 
Thousand  Dollars  were  paid  for  the  work." 
Some  nouns  have  only  a  plural  form,  but  may  be  used 
in  either  number ;  ex. :  odds,  pains,  means ;  as,  "By  those 
means."  "By  that  means."  "She  took  no  pains."  "No 
pains  were  taken  by  the  girl." 

Some  nouns  have  only  a  plural  form,  but  are  used  in  a 
singular  sense ;  viz.,  news,  politics,  mathematics. 


LESSON 

XVI. 

:'-    " 

Form  Plurals. 

topaz 

buffalo 

memento 

fox 

ally 

! 

sheaf 

arch 

daisy 

glory 

box 

Monday 

folio 

bush 

valley 

relay 

hero 

-.    \  foot 

sea 

cargo 

half 

whiff 

a 

wage 

prince 

halo 

scarf 

alley 

octavo 

roof 

: 

lily 

solo 

chief 

city 

tyro 

gulf 

man 

embryo 

fife 

mouse 

negro 

muff 

ox 

hoof 

echo 

oat 

calico 

4 

die 

36 

HANDBOOK  OF 

, 

crisis 

nail-brush 

tea  cup 

datum 

Lord-Justice 

elipsis 

four 

focus 

General-in-chief 

fungus 

index 

axis 

nebula 

apex 

Mrs.  Briggs 

genus 

Miss  Howard 

schoolhouse 

domino 

story 

hypothesis 

miasma 

Mary 

court-martial 

study 

calf 

aid-de-camp 

piano 

billet-doux 

attorney-at-law 

booby 

hanger-on 

knight-errant 

wolf 

pailful 

man-of-war 

army 

Griggs 

forget-me-not 

tomato 

gentleman 

goose-quill 

volcano 

grotto 

daughter-in-law 

molasses 

courtyard 

spoonful 

dwarf 

attorney 

maid-of-honor 

cameo 

politics 

knight-templar 

child 

chimney 

memorandum 

turkey 

cupful 

Attorney- General 

cherub 

penny 

German 

artery 

baby 

people 

news 

deer 

Charles 

innuendo 

fungus 

LESSON  XVIL 
Use  OF  Words. 

wharf 

Intend;  to  signify  a  desire  to  act.    Mean;  stronger  than  in- 
tend —  conveys  the  idea  of  purpose  as  well  as  intention.  Pro- 
pose, to  offer  a  plan  for  acceptance  or  consideration.     Loan 
is  a  noun.     "I  shall  make  you  a  loan."    Lend,  a  verb  as,  "He 
^will  lend  the  amount  necessary."     Official;  one  holding  public 
•office.     Office,  a  place  where  public  business  is  carried  on. 


COMMBRCIAL  ENGLISH  37 

Gender. 

The  Gender  of  a  noun  or  pronoun  denotes  its  sex. 

The  Masculine  Gender  denotes  male;  as,  boy. 

The  Feminine  Gender  denotes  female;  as,  girl. 

The  Common  Gender  denotes  either  male  or  female;  as^ 
"Her  parent  visited  the  school." 

Neuter  Gender  denotes  neither  male  nor  female;  as,  "The 
desk  was  broken." 

The  Masculine  is  now  frequently  used  for  both  sexes;  as. 
Author,  Doctor,  instead  of  Authoress,  Doctoress. 

A  Collective  Noun,  when  referring  to  the  objects  as  a 
whole,  is  classed  as  Neuter  Gender;  as,  "The  Committee  pre- 
pared its  report." 

When  the  objects  referred  to  are  to  be  taken  separately, 
the  sex  will  be  determined  by  the  sex  of  the  individuals;  as, 
"The  jury  were  out  all  night,  and  each  was  anxious  to  see 
his  family.'^  "Her  society  were  all  present,  and  each  member 
did  her  utmost  to  make  the  meeting  a  success." 

Case. 

The  Case  of  a  noun  or  pronoun  indicates  whether  it  is  used 
as  a  subject,  a  predicate  complement,  a  possessive  modifier,  or 
as  an  object. 

There  are  three  Cases;  viz.,  Subjective  or  Nominative,  Ob- 
jective and  Possessive. 

When  a  noun  is  used  with  another  for  emphasis  or  expla- 
nation, it  is  in  the  same  case  as  the  other  noun  it  explains 
or  emphasizes. 

Subjective  or  Nominative  Case. 

A  noun  used  as  the  subject  of  a  verb,  as  an  attribute  com- 
plement, or  independently,  is  in  the  Subjective  Case ;  as,  "Jen- 


38  HANDBOOK  OF 

nie  will  sing."     "That  is  Mary."     "Girls,  are  you  ready  to 
recite  ?" 


Objective  Case. 

A  noun  used  as  the  object  of  a  verb,  the  object  of  a  preposi- 
tion, or  as  a  subject  of  an  infinitive,  is  in  the  Objective  Case; 
as,  "Ada  prepared  the  lesson."  "Lucy  went  to  school."  "The 
parent  told  the  boy  to  obey." 

Possessive  Case. 

A  noun  "modifying  another  noun,  indicating  possession,  is 
in  the  Possessive  Case. 


LESSON  XVIIL 

Use  OF  Words. 

Ingenious,  evincing  originality,  skill  or  cleverness.  Ingen- 
uous; candid,  frank  or  open  in  character.  Implicate,  entangle- 
ment —  always  applies  to  that  which  is  wrong ;  involve  ap- 
plies to  that  which  is  unfortunate.  Involve,  stronger  word  than 
implicate,  ex. :  "He  was  not  implicated  in  the  crime,  though 
he  was  involved  in  debt."  Apt;  a  person  is  apt  who  is  pecu- 
liarly suited  or  fitted  to  do  a  certain  thing.  Liable;  one  is 
liable  who  is  in  danger  of  some  undesirable  condition.  Likely, 
refers  to  that  which  is  probable. 

Aids  for  Forming  the  Possessive  Case  of  Nouns. 

General  Rule;  The  Possessive  Case  of  singular  nouns  is 
formed  by  adding  the  apostrophe  and  s ;  ex. :  Jane's  book. 
Fred's  kite. 


commercial  english  39 

Possessive. 

Aids. 

1.  To  form  the  possessive  of  plural  nouns,  add  the  apostro- 
phe only,  except  when  the  plural  is  formed  by  a  change 

in  the  word  itself,  then  add  apostrophe  and  s;  as  "Boys* 
hats  for  sale."     "Gentlemen's  hats  were  sold." 

2.  Singular  nouns  ending  in  the  sound  of  s  or  z  followed 
by  a  similar  sound  add  the  apostrophe  only;  as,  "For  con- 
science' sake." 

3.  In  compound  nouns  the  sign  of  the  possessive  is  added 
to  the  last  word  only;  as,  "brother-in-law's  wife." 

4.  Possession  by  several  persons  of  the  same  thing  requires 
the  sign  of  possession  after  the  last  name  only,  but  sepa- 
rate and  distinct  possession  of  a  like  thing  requires  the 
sign  after  each;  as,  "John  and  Mary's  typewriter." 
"Frank's  and  Alfred's  homes." 

5.  When  one  possessive  is  in  apposition  with  another,  the 
possessive  form  may  be  indicated  in  various  ways;  as, 
"I  bought  the  book  at  Ma)mard's,  the  bookseller,"  or 
"I  bought  the  book  at  Maynard,  the  bookseller's,"  or 
"I  bought  the  book  at  Maynard's  the  bookseller's."  The 
first  and  third  are  preferred. 

6.  The  possessive  of  figures,  letters,  and  symbols  is  formed 
by  adding  the  apostrophe  and  s;  as,  4's,  t's. 

7.  A  noun  used  before  the  gerund  requires  the  possessive 
sign;  as  "I  have  no  objection  to  John's  remaining." 

8.  When  a  possessive  noun  is  modified  by  a  phrase,  the 
possessive  sign  is  added  to  the  last  word;  as,  "The  Gov- 
ernor of  California's  Uncle." 

9.  In  some  cases  a  double  possessive  is  required,  in  which 
case  the  possessive  sign  and  of  are  both  used;  as,  "The 
picture  of  John's."      (John's  picture.) 

10.     Possessive  pronouns  do  not  take  the  apostrophe. 


40  HANDBOOK   OF 

11.  Inanimate  objects  should,  for  the  most  part,  have  posses- 
sion indicated  by  the  preposition  of,  instead  of  apos- 
trophe; as,  "The  crown  of  my  tooth/'  not  "my  tooth's 
crown." 

12.  The  phrases,  somebody  else,  anybody  else,  are  regarded 
as  a  whole,  and  take  the  possessive  sign  at  the  end;  as, 
anybody  else's;  but  whose  else,  not  who  else's,  is  correct. 


CORRECT  ACCORDING  TO  RULES  FOR 
POSSESSIVES. 

1.  I  bought  the  book  at  Smiths  the  bookseller. 

2.  My  brother-in-laws  house  was  burned. 

3.  This  is  a  criticism  of  Johns.     (John's  criticism). 

4.  The  ts  top  was  not  crossed. 

5.  Let  all  the  ends  thou  aimst  at  be  thy  countrys,  Gods,  and 
truth. 

6.  He  made  the  demand  for  righteousness  sake. 

7.  He  begged  him  for  goodness  sake  not  to  take  the  money. 

8.  The  ladies  hats  were  removed. 

9.  The  foxes  dens  were  unmolested. 

10.  Down  came  the  fierce  rushing  eagles  wings. 

11.  These  luminaries  brightness  was  designed  for  a  purpose. 

12.  A  few  miles  ride  brought  us  to  the  river. 

13.  Boys,  girls,  and  youths  clothing  for  sale. 

14.  The  juries  verdicts  were  well  received. 

15.  The  notarys  seal  was  attached  to  the  document. 

16.  Clark  and  Smiths  contract  has  already  expired. 

17.  The  childrens  procession  was  very  imposing. 

18.  He  noticed  the  geeses  tracks  in  the  snow. 

19.  The  workmans  representative  was  admitted  to  the  hall. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  41 

20.  William  and  Marys  reign. 

21.  Harrys  and  James  pleading  were  alike  unheeded. 

22.  Richard  and  Susans  home  was  burned. 

23.  Ladies  and  gentlemens  dining  rooms. 

24.  As  this  knife  is  not  mine,  it  must  be  yours. 

25.  Your's  respectfully. 

26.  Womans  sphere  is  an  exalted  one. 

27.  Womens  spheres  are  exalted  ones. 

28.  It  is  my  province  to  inquire;  your's  to  command;  theirs 
to  obey. 

29.  He  asked  pay  for  two  days  work. 

30.  We  could  see  the  precipices  edge. 

31.  Both  Lees  and  Grants  military  manoeuvres  will  always 
be  famous. 

32.  They  sell  boys  hats  and  mens  coats. 

33.  The  book  is  Freds,  my  school  mates  friend. 

34.  I  bought  the  wrap  at  Roberts  and  Gross. 

35.  My  friends  sister  is  a  poetess. 

36.  King  Edward  was  the  Emperor  of  Germanys  uncle. 

37.  We  own  both  Websters  and  Worcester s  dictionaries. 
3S.  It  is  nobody  elses  book. 

39.  Stenographers  notebooks  for  sale. 

40.  Ten  days  interest  was  due. 

41.  Anybody  elses  umbrella  will  do. 

42.  Every  one  must  judge  of  his  own  feelings. 

43.  Who's  else  hat  is  it. 

44.  No  ones  else  affairs  are  in  such  a  condition. 

45.  Nobody  else  opinion  is  of  any  consequence. 

46.  Your  and  Whites  contract  was  broken. 

47.  I  paid  for  a  six  months  course. 

48.  The  is  dot  was  omitted. 

49.  He  did  not  mention  John  going. 


Sub. 

Woman 

Poss. 

Woman's 

Obj. 

Woman 

42  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  XIX. 

Declension. 

The  declension  of  a  noun  is  the  change  made  in  its  ending 
to  denote  the  different  cases  in  two  numbers. 
Singular.  Plural 

Sub.  Lady  Ladies 

Poss.  Lady's  Ladies' 

Obj.  Lady  Ladies 


Women 

Women's 

Women 


Refusal  to  Send  Goods  on  Credit. 

Assume  that  the  last  letter  written  to  the  Remington  com- 
pany asked  for  credit,  and  that  you  are  writing  for  the  above 
company;  state  that  it  is  against  the  rules  of  your  house  to 
forward  goods  in  compliance  with  first  order,  unless  accom- 
panied by  cash  or  satisfactory  references. 

Use  of  Words. 
Exercise. 

Write  the  following  sentences,  supplying  the  blanks  with 
the  proper  sjmonyms: 

Awaken,  to  arouse  interest.  Excite,  to  arouse  affections  and 
better  powers.  Provoke,  to  call  forth  or  arouse  baser  passions. 
Stir  up,  to  arouse  a  person  or  mob  to  rebellious  action. 

1.     It  was  Professor  Clark  who  within  me  a  desire 

to  become  a  missionary. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  43 

2.     My  natural  love  for  the  lower  animals  was  greatly 


by  a  course  in  zoology  which  I  took  at  the  University. 

3.  It  is  easy  for  an  enthusiastic  orator  to  sedition 

among  the  people. 

4.  The  queer  sayings  of  a  child  will  often laughter 

from  the  sternest  individual. 

5.  The  numerous  American  flags  I  saw  in  London 

within  me  a  feeling  of  broader  patriotism. 

6.  The    howling    Roman    mob  was  to  a  flood  of 

mutiny  by  Marc  Anthony. 

Healthy ;  good  physical  condition  of  any  living  organism, 
animal  or  plant.  Healthful;  anything  that  promotes  health. 
Wholesome,  refers  especially  to  various  kinds  of  food  which 
are  good  for  the  health. 

1.  That  was  a  fine tree  we  saw  this  afternoon. 

2.  Riding  and  walking  are  both exercises. 

3.  Nearly  all  kinds  of  food  are  made  more ^by  cook- 
ing. 

4.  In  summer  the  climate  of  Rome  is  not  very  be- 
cause of  the  prevalence  of  malaria. 

5.  Bananas   are  more  when   they   are   thoroughly 

ripe. 

LESSON  XX. 

Orthography. 

We  hear  it  said  that  good  spellers  are  born,  not  made. 
While  the  poor  speller  does  not  have  the  advantage  of  the  bom 
speller,  he  must  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  make  it  possible  to 
spell  well,  for  good  spellers  can  be  made. 

A  thorough  drill  upon  the  following  will  assist  greatly  in 
mastering  the  proper  spelling. 


44  ^  HANDBOOK 

/  U^ 

The  rules  for  the  formation  of  plurals  have  been  given  under 
the  subject  of  NOUNS. 

>>  Final  E  (silent)  of  a  primitive  word  is  dropped  upon 
taking  a  suffix  beginning  with  a  vowel;  as,  blame,  blamable; 
obscure,  obscurity. 

%  Final  E  of  a  primitive  word  is  retained  on  taking  a 
suffix  beginning  with  a  consonant.  Ex. :  large,  largely ;  pale, 
paleness. 

^  Words  ending  in  ce  or  ge  retain  the  e  before  a  suffix  be- 
ginning with  a,  i,  0,  to  preserve  the  soft  sound  of  the  conso- 
nant; as,  peace,  peaceable,  courage,  courageous;  singe,  singe- 
ing. 

4.  Words  ending  in  oe  retain  the  e  to  preserve  the  sound  of 
the  root ;  as,  shoe,  shoeing ;  hoe,  hoeing. 

^  A  few  words  retain  the  silent  e  to  prevent  the  confusing 
of  them  with  others  of  similar  spelling;  as,  singe,  singeing; 
dye,  dyeing. 

^  A  final  e  preceded  by  a  vowel  is  sometimes  omitted ;  as, 
due,  duly;  true,  truly. 

7.  Words  ending  in  ee  drop  one  on  taking  a  suffix  beginning 
with  the  same  letter;  as,  free,  freest. 

8.  Verbs  ending  in  ee  retain  both  when  taking  a  suffix;  as, 
agree,  agreement. 

9.  In  derivations  formed  from  words  ending  in  ie  the  e  is 
dropped  and  the  i  changed  to  y  to  prevent  the  doubling  of  the 
i;  as,  die,  dying. 

Kl^   I  before  E 

Except  after  C 
Or  when  sounded  like  A 

As  in  neighbor  and  weigh.  —  examples :  receive,  sleigh. 
11.     Words  ending  in  two  vowels  retain  them  on  taking  a 
suffix  beginning  with  any  other  vowel;  as,  agree,  agreeable. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  45 

12.  Many  nouns  ending  in  dge  drop  the  final  e  of  the  prim- 
itive word;  as,  lodge,  lodgment;  judge,  judgment;  acknowl- 
edge, acknowledgment. 

LESSON  XXI. 

General  Rules  for  Spelling. 

i.  Monosyllables  and  words  accented  on  the  last  syllable, 
ending  in  a  single  consonant  preceded  by  a  single  vowel,  double 
the  final  consonant  before  a  suffix  beginning  with  a  vowel ;  as, 
got,  gotten;  beg,  beggar;  hot,  hotter,  hottest;  blot,  blotting; 
admit,  admitting. 

2.  Final  y  preceded  by  a  consonant,  is  changed  to  i  before  a 
suffix;   as,  busy,  busiest;  pity,  pitiful,  pitied. 

3.  After  t  the  y  is  changed  into  e  before  OUS ;  as,  plente- 
ous, beauteous. 

4.  Final  y  before  a  suffix  beginning  with  i  is  retained,  to 
prevent  doubling  of  the  i;  as,  carrying,  marrying. 

5.  Three  common  English  words  end  in  ceed;  exceed,  pro- 
ceed, and  succeed.  All  others  of  the  class  end  in  cede,  except 
one  which  ends  in  sede,  supersede.  Those  in  cede  are;  con- 
cede, precede,  recede,  and  secede. 

6.  Greek  and  Latin  stems  whose  nouns  end  in  ation  form 
the  adjective  by  adding  able;  Those  ending  otherwise  add  ible, 
but  Anglo-Saxon  words  add  able ;  as,  admiration,  admirable ; 
division,  divisible. 

7.  A  prefix  or  suffix  ending  in  double  /  generally  drops  one 
/  in  derivative  words;  as,  usefulness. 

8.  The  final  letter  of  a  word  or  prefix  is  usually  retained 
before  the  same  letter  in  the  suffix  or  root ;  as,  accidental-ly. 

9.  In  prefixing  mis,  or  dis  to  a  word,  the  s  is  not  doubled 
unless  the  syllable  to  which  it  is  added  begins  with  s;  misspell. 

10.  Words  ending  in  //  usually  retain  both  when  used  with 
prefixes;  as,  foretell,  fulfill. 


46 


HANDBOOK   OF 


1 1 .  Always  write  c  with  ian,  never  tian ;  as,  physician. 

12.  The  Latin  prepositions,  ad,  con,  and  in,  in  uniting  with 
certain  other  words  to  form  compounds  change  their  final  con- 
sonant for  the  sake  of  euphony,  to  the  initial  letter  of  the  other 
word;  as,  ad-breviate,  abbreviate;  ad-lusion,  allusion;  conmer- 
cial,  commercial;  in-legal,  illegal;  in-rational,  irrational. 

LESSON  XXII. 
Drills. 

A  written  test  should  now  be  given  upon  the  following 
words ;  as  they  are  being  corrected  by  the  teacher,  the  different 
rules  applied  by  the  students  in  spelling  the  words  should  be 
called  for: 


abominable 

seizure 

mosquitoes 

admirable 

boxes 

daubing 

durable 

children 

dissolve 

probate 

formally 

distaste 

indispensable 

territories 

reference 

admissible 

brother-in-law 

referred 

divisible 

safety 

assuring 

visible 

journeys 

advancement 

benefited 

beauteous 

encouragement 

committed 

busily  . 

forceful 

transferred 

potatoes 

management 

occurring 

joyless 

encouraging 

forgotten 

loneliness 

changeable 

preferred 

mementoes 

chargeable 

traveler 

studying 

courageous 

labeling 

although 

serviceable 

misspell 

vetoes 

abridgment 

misapply 

faithful 

judgment 

dissatisfy 

all  right 

acknowledgment 

COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


47 


shoeing 

succeed 

loosening 

truly 

supersede 

receiving 

duly 

concurring 

procuring 

annexes 

compelling 

pursuing 

beeves 

repel 

relieving 

occasionally 

expelling 

skimming 

countries 

extol 

owing 

b's 

extolling 

untying 

paleness 

suffering 

disagreeable 

Misses  Brown 

develop 

yield 

plenteous 

chiefs 

conceit 

argument 

exceptionally 

deceitful 

mulattoes 

alleys 

chief 

connection 

4's 

chieftain 

business 

arrangement 

pierce 

halos 

theories 

siege 

fighting 

dominoes 

niece 

almost 

definitely 

originally 

crises 

attorneys 

allies 

gaseous 

abbreviate 

mice 

already 

likelihood 

merely 

calicoes 

folios 

monarchies 

marrying 

musician 

cherubim 

disagree 

berrying 

extremely 

cuffs 

solos 

monkeys 

tingeing 

hotter 

welcome 

precede 

fulfill 

easily 

concede 

cargoes 

tomatoes 

intercede 

usefulness 

physician 

recede 

plentiful 

carrying 

singing 

wharfs 

pianos 

secede 

singeing 

begging 

exceed 

developing 

^       skillful 

proceed 

losing 

tornadoes 

48 

beautiful 
successful 


HANDBOOK   OF 

buffaloes 

churches 

verbally 

already 

LESSON  XXIII. 

Write  a  Letter  Explaining  your  Inability  to  fill  an 
Order  Previously  Received. 

1.  State  that  owing  to  the  great  demand  for  challies  and 
dimities,  you  cannot  fill  an  order  for  the  recipient  for  one  week. 

2.  Express  regret  in  a  courteous  manner,  showing  a  wil- 
lingness to  accommodate  your  customers. 

Words  :  How  to  use  them. 

Prepare  in  accordance  with  previous  instructions: 
Lonely ;  one  is  lonely  when  feeling  shut  away  from  others. 
Solitary,  apart  from  others  of  its  kind.  The  solitary  person  if 
possessed  of  mental  resources  need  not  feel  lonely.  Luncheon, 
is  a  light  meal.  Lunch,  to  eat  luncheon  —  as,  "we  lunched 
together.^'  Low-priced ;  below  its  estimated  value.  Cheap; 
little  value  —  an  article  may  be  cheap  and  also  low-priced  but 
not  necessarily  so.  Luxuriant  means  superabundant,  "the  vine 
is  luxuriant  in  its  growth."  Luxurious  means  contributing  to 
ease,  "she  lives  in  luxurious  ease." 

Pronouns. 

A  PRONOUN  is  a  word  used  in  place  of  a  noun  (pro,  for), 
to  avoid  awkward  repetition  of  the  noun:  as,  Mary,  lost  her 
book,"  instead  of  "Mary  lost  Mary's  book." 

THE  ANTECEDENT  is  a  word  in  place  of  which  the  pro- 
noun stands.  The  pronoun  must  agree  with  its  antecedent  in 
person,  number  and  gender,  but  its  case  depends  upon  the  con- 
struction of  the  sentence  or  clause  in  which  it  stands. 


commercial  english 

Classes. 
Personal,   Interrogative,  Relative,  Adjective. 


49 


Personal. 

Personal  Pronouns  are  used  to  denote  persons.  They  are 
divided  into  two  classes,  simple  and  compound.  There  are  six 
simple,  personal  pronouns,  I,  (thou),  you,  he,  she,  it.  I,  the 
pronoun  of  the  First  Person,  stands  for  the  person  speaking. 
Thou  and  you,  the  pronouns  of  the  Second  Person,  stand  for 
the  person  spoken  to.  He,  she,  it  the  pronouns  of  the  Third 
Person,  stand  for  the  person  spoken  of. 

Personal  pronouns  change  their  forms,  then,  to  denote  per- 
son, and  also  to  denote  number,  gender  (in  the  third  person), 
and  case. 

A  table  showing  the  changes  in  the  form  of  personal  pro- 
nouns to  denote  person,  number,  gender,  and  case,  is  called 
Declension. 


Declension  of  Simple  Personal  Pronouns. 

First  Person. 

and 


Singular 
Case  —  Nominative 
Possessive 
Objective 


I 

my  or  mine 
me 


Plural. 
We 

our  or  ours 

us 


Case 


Nom. 
Poss. 
Obj. 


Second  Person. 
Common  Form. 

you 

your  or  yours 

you 


you 

your  or  yours 

you 


50 

HANDBOOK  OF 

Third  Person. 

Feminine. 

Case  —  Norn. 

she 

they 

Poss. 

her  or  hers 

their  or  theirs 

Obj. 

her 

Neuter. 

them 

Case  —  Norn. 

it 

they 

Poss. 

its 

their  or  theirs 

Obj. 

it 

them 

NOTE — The   possessive    form   of    the    personal    pronouns 
never  requires  an  apostrophe. 

Aids  to  Correct  Use  of  Order. 

Aid  1.  When  two  or  more  personal  pronouns  in  the  singular 
number,  but  of  different  persons,  are  connected  by 
"and",  the  second  person  precedes  the  first  and  third, 
and  the  third  person  precedes  the  first;  as,  "You  and 
I  are  going."  "You  and  he  are  going."  "He  and  I 
are  going.'' 

Aid  2.  When  the  pronouns  are  used  together  in  the  plural 
number,  the  first  person  precedes  the  second  and  the 
third,  and  the  second  precedes  the  third ;  as,  "We  and 
you  are  going."    "You  and  they  are  going." 

Exercise. 
Which  is  Correct? 

1.  You  and  I  are  going,  or,  I  and  you  are  going. 

2.  He  and  you  are  going,  or.  You  and  he  are  going. 

3.  You  and  he  and  I  are  going,  or.  He  and  you  and  I  are 
going. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  51 

4.  I  and  he  are  going,  or  He  and  I  are  going. 

5.  We  and  you  are  going,  or  You  and  we  are  going. 

6.  They  and  we  are  going,  or.  We  and  they  are  going. 

7.  We  and  they  and  you  are  going,  or,  We  and  you  and  they 
are  going. 

LESSON  XXIV. 
Words:  How  to  use  them. 
(Follow  previous  instruction.) 

Contagious,  a  disease  is  contagious  that  can  be  transmitted 
by  contact  with  the  diseased  person,  by  touch,  breath,  etc. 
Infectious^  an  infectious  disease  is  one  produced  chiefly  by  cli- 
matic condition  though  it  may  be  applied  to  diseases  produced 
by  no  known  or  definable  influence  of  one  person  upon  another. 
Delicious,  that  which  affords  a  gratification  to  the  senses, 
especially  to  those  of  taste  and  smell;  as,  delicious  fruit,  de- 
licious odor.  Delightful,  the  word  delightful  implies  the  grat- 
ification of  a  higher  sense;  as  delightful  music.  Evidence  is 
that  which  tends  to  show  that  a  thing  is  true,  including  testi- 
mony of  witnesses  and  all  facts  of  every  kind.  Testimony 
signifies  the  statement  of  a  witness.  Call  means  to  attract  at- 
tention. Invite,  to  solicit  respectfully  to  one's  side.  Bid,  to 
urge  with  personal  sanction.  Summon,  to  command  by  authori- 
ty. Blame,  means  to  assign  a  fault  to  a  person  or  thing.  Cen- 
sure, to  reprove  the  person.  Condemn,  to  give  over  for  punish- 
ment as  applied  to  persons,  or  to  destruction  as  applied  to 
things. 

Agreement  of  Pronouns  with  Antecedent  in  Number. 

General  Rule:  A  noun  in  the  singular  number  must  be  rep- 
resented by  a  pronoun  in  the  singular ;  as,  "A  boy  will  succeed 
or  fail  according  to  his  ambition." 


52  HANDBOOK   OF 

A  noun  in  the  plural,  or  two  or  more  connected  by  and, 
must  be  represented  by  a  plural  pronoun;  as,  "Men  strive  for 
what  they  hold  most  worthy."  "A  wheel  and  a  shaft  have  been 
broken  but  they  can  easily  be  replaced." 


Special  Aids  to  Correct  Usage  in  Number. 
Aids. 

1.  When  a  pronoun  refers  to  two  or  more  singular  nouns 
connected  by  or,  either  —  or,  neither  —  nor,  the  pronoun 
must  be  singular;  as,  "It  was  necessary  that  a  colonel,  or 
at  least  a  captain  should  give  his  consent  to  the  plan." 
"Neither  employer  nor  employed  can  shift  his  personal  re- 
sponsibility to  another." 

2.  When  the  antecedent  noun  is  preceded  by  each,  every,  and 
any,  the  pronoun  must  be  singular;  as,  "Every  student 
must  take  care  of  his  own  machine."  ."It  was  a  well- 
drilled  team,  in  which  each  player  had  his  work  assigned 
him.^'     "Any  pupil  likes  to  have  his  work  praised." 

3.  When  person  (or  one  used  in  the  sense  of  person)  is  the 
antecedent,  the  pronoun  must  be  singular,  masculine;  as, 
"If  a  person  likes  his  work  he  will  do  it  well."  "When 
one  is  sure  of  the  right  way  he  should  follow  it." 

4.  When  the  antecedent  is  a  collective  noun  taken  collective- 
ly (or  in  the  singular)  the  pronoun  must  be  singular;  as, 
"The  new  firm  will  carry  on  its  business  in  a  larger  build- 
ing." "The  class  has  decided  that  its  banner  shall  be  red 
and  gold." 

5.  When  the  antecedent  is  a  collective  noun  taken  distribu- 
tively  (or  in  the  plural)  the  pronoun  must  be  plural;  as, 
"The  class  could  not  at  first  agree  upon  a  president,  so 
they  had  to  vote  again  and  again." 


commercial  english  53 

Exercises. 
Supply  The  Proper  Pronoun. 

1.  Let  every  one  turn  from evil  ways.      (Masculine) 

2.  The  committe  has  read report. 

3.  Everybody  has faults.      (Masculine) 

4.  Everybody  believes   own  eyes.      (Masculine) 

5.  Everyone  knows own  affairs  best. 

6.  Everyone  should  attend  to own  business. 

7.  Everyone  should  do  as would  be  done  by. 

8.  Neither    Henry   nor    William   has    found    book. 

(Masculine) 

9.  Every  bush  and  every  tree  is  putting  forth leaves. 

10.  Everybody  presented ticket  at  the  door. 

11.  Neither  of  us  had lesson. 

12.  Neither  of  them  had  bought ticket. 

13.  The  cavalry  is  efficacious  and  generally  important  because 
is  adapted  for  rapid  movement. 

14.  The  committee  (that  is  the  members  of  the  committee)  are 

unable  to  agree  and,   therefore,  have  not  made    

report. 

15.  His  family  is  large,  but  he  supports in  comfort. 

16.  The  jury  has  rendered verdict. 


LESSON  XXV. 
Words:  How  To  Use  Them. 

Sort^  signifies  a  particular  lot  or  parcel  not  grouped  according 
to  relationship.  Kind,  originally  denoted  things  of  the  same 
family,  or  bound  together  by  some  natural  affinity  and  hence  a 
class.  Variety,  numerous  things  that  are  not  necessarily  alike ; 
may  be  diverse,  but  not  always.  Intellect,  indicates  the  thinking 
power  of  the  mind,  including  perception,  memory,  imagination, 


54  HANDBOOK   OF 

understanding  and  intuition.  Mind,  includes  not  only  the  in- 
tellect but  the  sensibilities.  Inventor,  is  a  person  who  combines 
ideas  into  a  reality  for  the  first  time.  Discoverer,  is  one  who 
finds  out  something  heretofore  existing  but  unknown. 

'  Dunning  Letter. 

Write  a  letter  to  W.  H.  Bearing,  Trenton,  New  Jersey. 

1.  State  that  his  account  of  $35.00  has  been  due  three  months. 

2.  Remind  him  that  several  statements  of  account  have  been 
sent  but  were  evidently  overlooked. 

3.  Heavy  bills  are  falling  due  the  first  of  the  month  which  you 
cannot  meet  unless  your  accounts  are  properly  paid. 

4.  Request  that  if  he  is  unable  to  pay  the  bill,  he  forward  a 
part  now  and  the  balance  as  soon  as  possible. 

5.  Express  the  hope  that  he  realizes  the  seriousness  of  the  sit- 
uation, and  will  settle  as  soon  as  possible. 

Agreement    In  Gender. 

General  Rule :  A  masculine  noun  must  be  represented  by  a 
masculine  pronoun;  as,  "The  Governor  issued  his  proclama- 
tion." A  feminine  noun  must  be  represented  by  a  feminine 
pronoun;  as,  "Miss  Willard  gave  her  whole  life  to  temperance 
work."  A  neuter  noun  must  be  represented  by  a  neuter  pro- 
noun ;  as,  "The  book  has  its  good  points." 

Special  Aids  For  Correct  Usage  In  Gender. 

Aid  1.  A  noun  of  common  gender  requires  a  masculine  pro- 
noun, unless  the  noun  is  known  to  stand  only  for  members 
of  the  female  sex ;  for  example,  if  a  club,  a  class,  a  school, 
a  society,  etc.,  has  both  men  and  women  in  it,  the  pronoun 
standing  for  a  member  must  be  masculine;  as,  "Every 
member  of  the  class  must  bring  his  book."     Each  officer 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  55 

of  the  society  must  make  his  report.'^  But  if  you  are 
speaking  of  a  woman's  club,  society,  or  of  a  class,  etc., 
composed  of  girls  only,  the  feminine  pronoun,  she,  her, 
hers,  should  be  used. 
A  few  nouns  of  common  gender;  member,  officer,  teach- 
er, physician,  operator,  pupil,  co-worker,  student,  spectator, 
inhabitant,  family,  child. 

Fill  in  the  blanks  below  with  the  proper  pronouns. 

1.  Five  physicians  were  on  the  wrecked  train,  four  men  and 

one  woman,  every  one  of  them  did   very  best  to 

relieve  the  suffering  victims. 

2.  Every  member  of  the  faculty  expressed approval  of 

the  student's  work. 

3.  Every  officer  of  the  student  body  pledged word  to 

do duty. 

4*     The  family  now  consisted  of  a  mother  and  four  daughters 

every  one  of  whom  had  to  do share  towards  making 

the  living. 

Use  the  remaining  nouns  of  common  gender  in  the  above 
list  in  sentences  of  your  own,  representing  each  by  a  pro- 
noun of  the  proper  gender. 

LESSON  XXVI. 
Case  of  Pronouns. 
General  Rule ; 

The  general  rules  for  the  cases  of  pronouns  are  the  same  as 
those  for  the  cases  of  nouns ;  namely,  when  a  pronoun  is  the  sub- 
ject or  attribute  of  a  verb  it  must  be  in  the  Nominative  case; 
as  "The  boy  is  clever  and  he  knows  it."    "It  is  I." 

When  a  pronoun  shows  possession  as,  "Parents  love  their 
children."  "Mary  says  the  book  is  hers,"  it  must  be  in  the 
posessive  case. 


56  HANDBOOK   OF 

When  a  pronoun  is  the  object  or  object  complement  of  a  verb 
or  a  preposition,  it  must  be  in  the  objective  case;  as,  "This 
pretty  valley  pleases  them,"  ''The  soldiers  called  him  a  hero," 
"A  close  friendship  exists  betv^^een  her  and  me. 

Special  Aids  to  Correct  Usage  in  Case. 
Aids. 

1.  The  pronoun  after  the  verb  to  he,  or  any  of  its  parts,  is  in 
the  same  case  as  the  noun  or  pronoun  before  the  verb.  "You 
evidently  thought  that  he  was  I.'^  "I  saw  a  figure  pass  the 
window  and  thought  at  once  it  must  be  she."  'Tn  a  case 
like  that,  if  you  were  I,  what  would  you  do?" 

"I  supposed  it  to  be  me  whom  you  saw." 
"I  supposed  it  to  be  her  whom  you  saw." 

2.  Memorize  the  following  phrases : 

"Between  you  and  me."  "Between  him  and  me."  "Between 
him  and  them."  "For  you  or  her."  "For  him  and  me." 
"For  them  and  us."  "All  but  him  and  me."  "No  one  ex- 
cept you  or  her."  "Everyone  except  them  and  us."  "No 
one  but  her  or  him." 

3.  Remember  that  when  two  or  more  personal  pronouns  con- 
nected by  any  conjunction  are  the  objects  of  prepositions 
or  of  participles,  as  in  the  examples  just  above  mentioned, 
all   of  the  pronouns  must  be   in  the   objective  case;    as 

"meaning  you  or  me,"  "helping  him  and  her,"  "serving  her 
and  us." 

4.  The  objective  form  of  the  pronoun  is  never  used  after  am, 
was,  been;  as,  "It  was  I,  (not  me)."  "It  was  she,  (not 
her)."     "It  was  they,  (not  them)." 

5.  The  pronoun  preceding  a  gerund  requires  a  possessive 
form;  as,  "His  going  was  a  surprise." 

6.  The  subject  of  the  infinitive  is  in  the  objective  case.  Ex. : 
I  thought  it  to  be  him. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  57 

7.  A  noun  or  pronoun  after  the  verb  "be"  in  the  gerundial 
construction  (being)  is  in  the  nominative  case.  Example: 
"I  had  no  thought  of  its  being  she.'^ 

8.  The  noun  or  pronoun  that  follows  the  infinitive  "to  be" 
when  the  infinitive  is  not  a  verb,  is  in  the  nominative  case. 
Example :  "It  was  supposed  to  be  I." 

Drill. 

It  is  she.  It  is  he.  It  is  I.  It  is  we,  It  is  they.  I  knew 
it  to  be  him.  I  imagined  it  to  be  her.  I  supposed  it  to  be  them. 
We  had  no  thought  of  its  being  they.    It  was  supposed  to  be  we. 

Exercise. 

Supply  proper  pronoun. 

1.  I  knew  it  was . — Fem. 

2.  It  was  not who  made  the  noise. — Plural. 

3.  I  doubt being  honest. — Mas. 

4.  I  did  not  know  of writing  the  letter. — Mas. 

5.  My  father  heard  of playing  truant. — Plural. 

6.  You  never  heard  of  doing  a  thing  like  that. — 

Singular. 

7.  These  are . — Plural. 

8.  There  is  no  use  in going. — Plural. 

9.  We  knew  it  was . — Plural. 

10.  He  sent  his  regards  to  you  and . — Fem. 

11.  Him  being  rich  was  a  point  in favor. — Mas. 

12.  Jack  and are  going  to  Chicago. — Singular. 

13.  It  is  . — Mas. 

14.  Who  told  you  it  was ? — Plural. 

15.  I  supposed  it  to  be  . —  (3d.  fem.). 

16.  I  cannot  imagine  it  to  be . —  (3d.  Mas.) 

17.  How  could  you  suppose  it  to  be ? — (1st.  sing.) 

18.  I  should  like  to  be . —  (3d.  fem.) 


58  HANDBOOK   OF 

19.  Should  you  like  to  be  — ' ? — (1st.  plural.) 

20.  I  had  no  thought  of  its  being . —  (3d.  Mas.) 

21.  They  had  not  thought  of  its  being (1st.  plural.) 

LESSON  XXVII. 

Words:  How  to  use  Them. 

E-ffect,  to  accomplish.  Affect,  to  influence.  Prospective,  an- 
ticipated; as,  a  prospective  student,  a  prospective  plan.  Per- 
spective, the  relative  importance  of  facts  or  matters  from  any 
special  point  of  view;  also  their  presentation  or  description 
with  regard  to  their  proportional  importance.  Intelligent,  ac- 
tive of  mind ;  as,  an  intelligent  reader.  Intelligible,  capable  of 
being  understood.  Discommode,  to  put  to  trouble  or  annoy. 
Incommode,  to  inconvenience.  Inconvenience  that  which  works 
to  a  disadvantage.  The  word  incommode  has  superseded  dis- 
commode; as,  "I  shall  incommode  you."  Not  "discommode 
you." 

Compound  Personal  Pronoun. 

A  compound  personal  pronoun  is  formed  by  adding  self  or 
selves  to  the  simple  personal  pronoun ;  as,  myself,  yourself,  him- 
self, etc.  The  compound  personal  pronoun  has  but  two  uses: 
Reflexive  and  Emphatic. 

Reflexive. 

When  the  act  is  done  by  the  actor  to  himself  the  compound 
personal  pronoun  has  a  reflexive  use;  as,  "I  hurt  myself."  "He 
loves  himself."    "He  sang  himself  to  sleep." 

Emphatic. 

When  the  compound  personal  pronoun  calls  special  attention 
to  the  noun  or  pronoun  to  which  it  refers,  it  has  an  emphatic 
use;  as,  "I  myself  did  it,"     "She  herself  made  the  statement." 


commercial  english  59 

Exercise. 

Supply  proper  pronouns — compound  when  possible. 

1.  I  hurt . 

2.  He  loves . 

3.  She  sang to  sleep. 

4.  Vaulting  ambition  overleaps . 

5.  1  saw  him. 

6.  He said  so. 

7.  This  is  only  for and sister. 

8.-  This  is  only  for . 

9.  No  one  was  there  but . 

10.  He  hurt  . 

11.  He said  so. 

12.  He  blames . 

13.  She  engaged  the  room  for . 

14.  The  boy  struck . 

15.  He  hated for  saying  the  unkind  word. 

Exercise. 

Fill  the  blanks  with  the  correct  form  of  the  first  personal 
pronoun. 

1.  Mary  and are  going  to  the  concert. 

2.  It  was  . 

3.  Mother  brought  Jennie  and a  kitten. 

4.  She  is  neither  better  nor  wiser  than  you  or . 

5.  There  was  nobody  there  but . 

6.  She  was  happy  and too. 

7.  You  have  often  seen  my  cousin  and together. 

8.  Between  you  and I  have  lost  my  confidence  in 

him. 

9.  He  thought  it  was . 

10.     boys  are  going  riding. 

11.  May  Rob  and have  the  horse. 


60  HANDBOOK   OF 


12.     Who  is  it?    Only 


13.  Would  you  do  this  if  you  were 

14.  You  sing  with  more  expression  than 


Fill  the  blanks  with  third  personal  pronouns. 

1.  It  was  not ,  but . 

2.  Have  you  ever  seen  Fred  and together.  ? 

3.  I  thought  the  grey-haired  lady  was . 

4.  I  supposed  was  a  gentleman. 

5.  Few  girls  can  write  as  well  as . 

6.  Everybody  went  except cousin  and . 

7.  What  are  you  and playing? 

Fill  the  blanks  with  the  proper  form  of  the  personal  pronoun. 

1.  I  am  almost  as  tall  as . 

2.  It  was  either or mother  that  sent  the 

message. 

3.  Whom  shall  I  send  if  not . 

4.  I  would  not  do  it  if  I  were . 

5.  It  was  not but brother  that 

saw. 

6.  Was  it that  came? 


LESSON  XXVIII. 

Use  OF  Words. 

Majority,  a  majority  is  more  than  half  of  the  whole  number. 
Plurality,  is  the  excess  of  votes  given  to  any  candidate  over  the 
next  highest.  Of  100  votes  cast  51  is  a  majority,  if  there  are 
two  candidates;  but  if  three  receive  respectively  40,  Z6  and  24 
votes,  the  one  receiving  40  has  a  plurality  but  not  a  majority. 
Opinion  is  intellectual  and  is  the  result  of  a  judgment  on  vari- 
ous subjects ;  as,  science,  facts,  etc.    Sentiment  has  to  do  with 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  61 

matters  of  feeling.  Observance,  is  the  due  or  proper  rendering 
of  a  formal  or  practical  recognition  to  rule,  law,  custom;  as, 
"Proper  observance  of  the  Sabbath  is  urged/'  Observation,  has 
reference  to  an  act  of  close  contemplation  with  the  idea  of  be- 
coming acquainted  with  the  object.  Part,  is  that  which  is  less 
than  the  whole.  Portion,  is  generally  used  with  some  suggestion 
of  allotment.  A  portion  of  land  is  a  quantity  in  which  one  or 
more  persons  are  interested. 

Interrogative  Pronoun. 

An  interrogative  pronoun  is  one  used  in  asking  a  question. 
There  are  three  in  number;  who,  which,  and  what. 

Who  is  applied  to  persons  and  objects  personified ;  as,  "Who 
goes  there?"     "Whom  did  John  call?" 

Which  refers  to  animals  and  things ;  as,  "Which  dog  was 
black?"     "Which  book  did  you  buy?" 

What  refers  to  things  in  an  indefinite  manner;  as,  "What  is 
he  doing?"     "What  did  you  buy?" 

AID  1.  Avoid  using  who  after  the  verb  as  an  object:  as, 
"Who  do  you  mean?"  Transposed  —  "You  do  mean  who."  — 
incorrect.     It  should  read,  "Whom  do  you  mean?" 

Declension. 

What  and  which  have  but  one  form. 

Singular  and  Plural 

Case  —  Nom.     Who. 
Poss.     Whose 
Obj.      Whom 

Exercise. 

Supply  correct  interrogative  pronouns. 

1.     _  do  you  suppose  I  saw? 

2.  For is  this? 


62  HANDBOOK  OF 

3.  From is  the  letter? 

4.    can  be  trusted. 

5.  With was  he  talking? 

6.     book  was  lost  ? 

7.    can  you  send  me? 

8.     do  men  say  I  am? 

9.  Of were  you  speaking? 

10.     To did  he  speak? 

Relative  Pronon. 

A  relative  pronoun  is  one  that  relates  to  a  noun  or  pronoun, 
and  at  the  same  time  acts  as  a  connective. 

Simple. 

The  simple  relatives  are:  who,  which,  that,  what,  and 
occasionally,  as. 

Who  applies  to  persons  and  personified  objects :  as,  "The  man 
who  speaks."  Which  to  inferior  animals  and  things;  as,  "The 
dog  which  barks."  Thatj  to  both  persons  and  things ;  as,  "The 
children  and  house  that  were  seen  have  disappeared." 

Who  is  preferred  when  a  new  fact  is  added ;  as,  "I  was  told 
the  news  by  Mrs.  Gray  who  (and  she)  heard  it  from  Mrs. 
Jones." 

Who  is  usually  preferred  to  that  after  adjective  pronouns ;  as 
"There  are  several  who  will  go."  "There  are  those  who  wish  to 
remain,  others  who  prefer  to  go." 

Who  is  preferred  if  the  relative  and  verb  are  separated;  as, 
"There  are  students  who,  though  slow  to  learn  and  who  progress 
at  a  moderate  speed,  never  yield  to  discouragement." 

Who  is  preferred  when  the  antecedent  is  already  restricted; 
as,  "The  teacher  from  San  Francisco  who  had  been  invited  to 
address  the  class,  is  unable  to  be  present." 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  63 

Which  is  preferred  when  a  new  fact  is  added ;  as,  "The  dog 
was  lame,  which  (and  it)  caused  him  to  walk  slowly." 

That  is  preferred  after  adjectives  in  the  superlative  degree ;  as, 
"He  is  the  brightest  boy  that  I  saw  in  school." 

That  is  preferred  after  the  interrogative  pronoun  who,  and 
often  after  personal  pronouns ;  as,  "Who  that  heard  the  remark 
would  repeat  it?"    "I  that  speak  am  he." 

That  is  preferred  when  reference  is  made  to  both  persons 
and  things;  as,  "I  saw  the  performers  and  the  animals  that 
were  in  the  circus." 

That  is  preferred  when  there  is  doubt  as  to  whether  who, 
that,  or  which  should  be  used. 

That  may  be  used  in  some  cases  when  the  sense  is  restrictive ; 
as,  "It  was  not  she  that  I  saw." 

NOTE. — Avoid  using  what  for  that;  as,  "I  do  not  know 
but  what  she  will  go." 

Compounds. 

Compound  relatives  are  formed  by  adding  ever  and  soever 
to  who,  which,  and  what. 

Declension. 

Who  and  which  are  the  only  declinable  compounds. 

Singular  and  Plural 

Case  —  Nom.     Who 

Poss.     Whose. 

Obj      Whom 

Singular  and  Plural 

Case  —  Nom.     Which 

Poss.     Whose. 

Obj.     Which. 


64  HANDBOOK   OF 

Supply  Relative  and  Interrogative  Pronouns. 

1.     do  men  say  that  I  am? 

2.     do  you  think  gave  this  to  me? 

3.  Men are  rich  should  assist  the  poor. 

4.  I  am  he is  not  afraid  of  work. 

5.  This  is  the  man we  sent  for. 

6.  This  is  the  child  —  I  heard  crying. 

7.  All  he  described  was  true. 

8.  I  cannot  believe I  shall  go. 

9.  He  knows were. 

10.     do  you  mean? 

11.     do  you  suppose  is  in  the  other  room? 

12.     shall  you  invite? 

13.  I  know  a  gentleman ,  I  think,  I  can  safely  rec- 
ommend. 

14.  It  is  he addressed  us  at  the  meeting. 

15.  For  is  this? 

16.  Do  you  know  any  one  you  can  recommend. 

17.  Have  you  ever  met  any  one  you  could  wholly 

trust  ? 

18.  A  man  called  yesterday  ,  I  think,  will  do  the 

work  for  you. 

19      can  you  recommend  for  the  position? 

20.  I  gave  it  to  the  gentleman you  thought  was  Mr. 

James. 

21.  Do  you  know  any  one you  think  would  be  able 

to  do  the  work? 

22.  Have  you  ever  met  any  one you  could  trust  to 

do  the  work? 

23.  Do  not  say  a  word  to  any  one  you  feel  would 

mention  the  matter. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  65 

LESSON  XXIX. 

Use  of  Words. 

Transpired,  to  make  known.  Occurred,  to  happen;  ex.: 
"after  the  accident  occurred,  it  transpired  that  the  boy  had 
been  supporting  an  invalid  mother  in  the  East.'^  Abbrevia- 
tion is  a  shortening  by  any  method.  Contraction  is  the  reduc- 
tion of  size  by  the  drawing  together  of  the  parts.  By  omitting 
certain  letters  or  syllables  of  a  word  its  contraction  may  be 
made,  as,  "don't."  Room,  a  space  for  occupancy.  Space,  a 
limited  portion  of  extension  or  distance  not  necessarily  occu- 
pied. Ground,  the  enclosed  space  appertaining  to  a  mansion 
or  estate.  Locality,  a  definite  place  or  district.  Appertain,  to 
belong  as  by  right,  fitness,  association,  classification,  possession, 
natural  relation  or  the  like;  as,  "a  house  and  everything  apper- 
taining to  it."  Pertain,  to  have  reference  —  necessary  relation ; 
ex. :  "That  pertains  to  another  matter."  Honorable,  worthy  of 
honor.  Honorary,  conferring  honor.  Perceive,  is  to  become 
conscious  of  an  object  through  the  senses.  Believe  a  person 
believes  a  statement  when  he  accepts  it  as  true  on  other  grounds 
than  personal  observation  and  experience.  Discern,  to  see  an 
object  apart  from  all  others. 

Adjective  Pronouns. 

AN  ADJECTIVE  pronoun  is  an  adjective  used  as  a  pro- 
noun, or  with  the  noun  omitted. 

The  adjective  pronouns  are  many;  a  few  are,  some,  one,  all, 
few,  many,  both,  either,  none,  neither,  every,  etc. 

Declension. 
Only  five  change  their  form. 


66 


Hi 

\NDBOOK   OF 

THIS 

ingular 

Plural 

this 

these 

that 

those 

ONE 

Common  form  —  one 
Poss.  "         one's 


ones 
ones' 


OTHER 

Common  form  —  other 
Poss.  "         other's 


others 
others' 


ANOTHER 

Common  form  —  another 
Poss.  "         another's 


Supply  with  Adjective  Pronouns. 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 


I  wish 


was  asked  to  give  her  opinion. 
to  study  his  lesson. 


will  attend  the  convention. 

are  going  home. 

will  do. 

There  was  only there. 

would  like  to  do  so. 

Is  there  to  help? 


If 


is  sometimes  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  say. 

like  him  and  do  not. 

—  would  like  to  speak,  now  is  the  time. 
is  my  book. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  67 

13.  book  is  mine. 

14.  is  my  pen. 

15.  pen  is  mine 

16.  are  your  books. 

17.  books  are  yours. 

18.  are  my  books. 

19.  books  are  mine. 

20.  applicant  is  to  write  his  name. 

Tell  When  the  Words  in  Italics  are  used  as  Pronouns 
AND  When  as  Adjectives. 

1.  The  other  girl  was  here. 

2.  The  other  will  do. 

3.  There  are  several  persons  here. 

4.  A  certain  young  man,  whom  I  shall  not  name,  called  this 
evening. 

5.  All  the  boys  were  at  home. 

6.  He  invited  certain  of  his  friends. 

7.  He  invited  several. 

8.  I  invited  all  to  come. 

9.  Some  bookkeepers  do  need  work. 

10.  Many  books  were  sent. 

11.  If  there  are  no  books  I  shall  order  some. 

12.  None  are  to  be  found. 


Letter. 
Dun  No.  2. 

1.  Express  your  disapproval  of  delay. 

2.  State  your  intention  of  taking  extreme  measures  for  col- 
lection. 


68  HANDBOOK  OF 

LESSON  XXX. 

Use  of  Words. 

Proceed,  —  to  go  forth.  Precede,  —  to  go  before.  Recom- 
mend, —  to  commend  to  the  favorable  notice  of  another.  Rec- 
ommendation, —  that  which  commends  to  favor.  Stationery, 
—  article  sold  by  stationer.  Stationary,  —  not  moving  from 
one  place ;  fixed.  Epistle,  —  a  written  message  more  formal 
than  a  letter;  it  is  usually  applied  to  ancient  writings  of 
sacred  character  or  literary  excellence.  Note  —  a  brief  written 
statement  —  something  to  call  attention.  Message,  —  a  com- 
munication containing  advice  or  information,  —  may  be  either 
oral  or  written.  Decide,  —  to  bring  to  a  conclusive  result. 
Determine,  —  to  influence  or  resolve,  —  broader  in  meaning 
than  decide.  Fix,  —  to  make  sure.  Settle,  —  to  adjust  differ- 
ences ;  to  put  in  order  that  which  has  been  disarranged. 

Adjective. 

An  ADJECTIVE  is  a  word  used  to  describe  or  define  the 
meaning  of  a  noun;  as,  a  dirty  typewriter. 

Classes. 

Adjectives  may  be  divided  into  TWO  CLASSES:  Descrip- 
tive and  Limiting. 

Descriptive. 

An  adjective  used  to  describe  an  object  is  called  a  descriptive 
adjective ;  as,  a  white  hat. 

Limiting. 

A  limiting  adjective  is  one  that  denotes  some  limitation  or  re- 
striction of  the  object  named  by  the  noun :  as.  Three  stenogra- 
phers.   This  hardware  store. 


commercial  english  69 

Limiting. 

Limiting  adjectives  are  divided  into  three  classes,  articles, 
numerals,  and  pronominals. 

Articles. 

The  limiting  adjectives,  a,  an,  and  the,  are  usually  called 
articles;  the  is  a  definite  article  and  a  and  an  are  indefinite. 

Numerals. 

A  numeral  is  a  limiting  adjective  used  to  denote  a  definite 
number ;  as,  one  boy ;  forty  books ;  first  house. 

Pronominals.     ! 

A  pronominal  adjective  is  a  pronoun  used  as  an  adjective: 
as,  that  lesson;  those  books. 

Pronominal  adjectives  may  sometimes  be  Distributive;  as, 
each,  every,  either,  and  neither.  Demonstrative ;  as,  this,  these, 
those,  yonder,  former,  latter ;  or  Indefinite :  as,  some,  any,  none, 
other,  and  another. 

COMPARISON.  Comparison  is  that  change  made  in  some 
adjectives  to  express  different  degrees  of  quantity  and  quality. 

There  are  three  degrees  of  comparison,  the  POSITIVE ;  as, 
sweet;  the  COMPARATIVE,  sweeter;  the  SUPERLATIVE, 
sweetest. 

Aids. 

1.  Adjectives  of  one  syllable,  and  many  of  two  syllables  add 
er  to  the  positive  to  form  the  comparative,  and  est  to  form 
the  superlative;  as,  bright,  brighter,  brightest;  happy, 
happier,  happiest. 


70  HANDBOOK   OF 

2.  Adjectives  of  two  syllables  ending  in  le  or  y,  accepted 
upon  the  first  syllable,  and  many  ending  in  om  and  er 
are  also  compared  by  adding  er  or  est  j  as,  noble,  nobler, 
noblest;  healthy,  healthier,  healthiest;  shallow,  shallower, 
shallowest. 

3.  Most  other  adjectives  of  two  syllables,  and  all  adjectives 
of  more  than  two  syllables  form  the  comparative  and 
superlative  degrees  by  prefixing  more  and  7nost,  or  less 
and  least  to  the  simple  form  of  the  adjective;  as,  beauti- 
ful, more  beautiful,  most  beautiful. 

4.  Some  adjectives  are  compared  irregularly;  as,  good,  bet- 
most  are  used  when  two  or  more  qualities  are  compared ; 

•  ter,  best;  bad,  worse,  worst;  little,  less,  least.     More  and 
as,  "She  is  more  witty  than  wise." 


General  Rules  for  the  Agreement  of  Adjectives. 

1.  Adjectives  that  indicate  unity  or  plurality  must  agree  with 
their  nouns  in  number;  as,  that  kind,  these  kinds.  This 
and  these  denote  an  object  as  near  at  hand;  that  and 
those,  an  object  not  near. 

2.  The  adjectives  each,  every,  either,  neither,  are  used  with 
nouns  in  the  singular  only;  as,  "Each  student  was  in  his 
place."  "Neither  boy  was  there."  The  phrase  "each 
other"  is  usually  appled  to  two  objects,  and  one  another 
to  more  than  two;  as,  "The  two  children  helped  each 
other."    "We  should  love  one  another." 

Either   and  neither  usually  refer   to   two   things   only;   as, 
"Neither  of  the  two  was  present." 


commercial  english  71 

Articles. 
Aids. 

1.  When  two  or  more  adjectives  relate  to  a  noun  denoting 
one  and  the  same  object,  the  article  is  used  before  the 
first  only;  but  if  two  or  more  objects  are  intended,  the 
articles  are  repeated  and  a  plural  verb  used ;  as, 

A  black  and  white  dress  was  shown,  (one  dress.) 
A  black  and  a  white  dress  were  shown,  (two  dresses.) 

2.  The  use  of  a  or  an  after  kind  of  or  sort  of ;  as,  "This  is 
the  right  kind  of  an  apple,"  is  unnecessary  and  should  be 
avoided. 

3.  When  two  or  more  nouns  following  each  other  do  not 
denote  the  same  thing,  but  may  be  so  associated  in  thought 
as  to  form  a  whole,  the  article  may  be  used  before  the  first 
noun  only,  and  a  singular  verb  used ;  as,  A  new  doll  and 
cart  has  been  bought. 

4.  A  is  used  before  words  beginning  with  a  consonant  sound ; 
an  before  words  beginning  with  a  vowel  sound  and  before 
nouns  beginning  with  h  when  the  accent  is  on  the  second 
syllable ;  as,  a  man,  an  orange,  an  heir,  an  historian. 

5.  When  two  or  more  nouns  are  repeated,  the  article  is  not 
repeated  if  the  nouns  denote  the  same  person  or  thing; 
but  if  different  persons  and  things  are  indicated,  the 
article  must  be  repeated  before  each  noun ;  as,  "She  is  a 
better  stenographer  than  the  bookkeeper."  (Different  per- 
son). "She  is  a  better  stenographer  than  bookkeeper." 
(One  person). 

6.  In  a  series  of  adjectives  of  equal  rank  the  shortest  and 
simplest  should  generally  be  placed  first;  as,  "She  is  a 
younger  but  more  intelligent  person." 


72  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  XXXI. 

Use  Of  Words. 

Acid,  is  a  concentrated  corrosive  sourness.  Sour,  refers  to  a 
milder  form  of  acidity  than  acid.  Buttermilk  is  sour;  lemon 
juice  is  acid.  Active,  expresses  a  tendency  toward  employment 
—  it  implies  energy.  Busy,  means  closely  or  diligently  employed 
and  implies  attention  to  one's  work.  Adjacent,  means  lying 
near,  without  touching.  Adjoining,  touching  at  a  single  point. 
Contiguous,  touching  at  one  or  more  sides.  Abundant  is  used 
with  reference  to  the  quantity  of  the  supply  and  without  refen- 
ence  to  the  source.  Copious,  an  abundant  giving  forth.  Plen- 
tiful is  limited  to  physical  things,  strictly.  A  harvest  may  be 
plentiful,  a  stream  copious,  and  our  gratitude  abundant. 
Artful  has  reference  to  the  use  of  such  means  for  one's  own 
purpose  as  are  hidden  from  the  observation  of  others. 
Deceitful  pertains  to  a  deliberate  purpose  to  lead  others  astray. 
A  man  may  deceitfully  resort  to  falsehood  to  gain  his  end. 
Designing  denotes  the  exercise  of  artful  conduct  to  scure 
certain  results.  The  designing  person  is  always  laying  plans 
for  accomplishing  some  end  in  the  future.  Authentic,  having 
authority :  Genuine,  real  or  true.  A  history  may  be  authentic ; 
butter  genuine. 

Letter  Of  Introduction. 

L     Introduces  the  bearer  to  some  other  person  with  whom  the 

writer  is  acquainted,  but  who  is  a  stranger  to  the  bearer. 

2.  Written  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  relations  conducive 
to  their  mutual  interests  and  advantage. 

3.  Carries  with  it  an  implied  attitude  of  esteem  and  trust  on 
the  part  of  the  writer  to  the  bearer,  who  is  worthy  of  any 
confidence  reposed  in  him. 

4.  Present  it  to  the  person  to  be  introduced. 

5.  The  envelope  should  be  unsealed. 


commercial  english  73 

Comparison. 

Aid 

1.  The  comparative  degree  is  used  when  two  objects  or 
clauses  are  compared ;  the  superlative  when  more  than  two 
are  compared;  as,  "J^^^  i^  taller  than  Tom."  "Clara  is 
the  tallest  of  the  class." 

2.  When  the  comparative  is  used  with  than,  the  thing  com- 
pared must  always  be  excluded  from  the  class  of  things 
with  which  it  is  compared;  hence  other  must  accompany 
tha7i;  as,  San  Francisco  is  larger  than  any  other  city  in 
California. 

3.  When  the  superlative  degree  is  used,  the  class  that  fur- 
nishes the  object  of  comparison,  and  that  is  introduced  by 
"of/'  should  always  include  the  thing  compared  as 
"smoking  is  of  all  vices  the  most  expensive." 

4.  Double  comparison  should  be  avoided:  "I  am  growing 
more  stronger  every  day." 

5.  Some  adjectives  do  not  admit  of  comparison ;  as,  superior, 
perpendicular,  full,  dead,  perfect,  square,  round,  universal. 

6.  When  it  is  desired  to  express  an  approximation  of  com- 
parison with  adjectives  that  do  not  admit  of  comparison 
more  nearly  or  most  nearly  should  be  used;  as,  This  glass 
is  more  nearly  full  than  that  one.  John's  line  is  more  near- 
ly perpendicular  than  mine. 

7.  When  a  verb  asserts  an  action  on  the  part  of  the  subject, 
the  qualifying  word  that  follows  the  verb  is  an  adverb; 
but  when  the  verb  asserts  merely  a  quality  of  the  subject 
or  its  existence  in  a  certain  state,  if  any  part  of  the  verD 
"be"  (am,  was,  been,)  or  "become"  can  be  substituted  for 
the  verb,  the  following  word  should  be  an  adjective;  "Lucy 
feels  (is)  bad."  "Mary  looks  (is)  beautiful."  "The 
apples  taste  (are)  sweet." 


74  HANDBOOK   OF 

8.  When  two  adjectives  limiting  the  same  noun  are  joined 
without  a  conjunction,  that  adjective  modified  by  the 
other,  should  be  placed  nearest  the  noun;  as,  "A  pretty 
little  bird,"  not  "a  little  pretty  bird." 

9.  When  several  adjectives  limiting  the  same  noun  follow  one 
another,  and  are  separated  by  a  conjunction,  the  simplest  is 
placed  first.  "The  girl  whom  you  see  is  younger  and  more 
beautiful  than  her  sister,"  not  "The  girl  whom  you  see  is 
more  beautiful  and  younger  than  her  sister." 

Cautions. 

1.  When  two  negative  words  are  used  in  the  same  clause  the 
second  destroys  the  first :  "I  cannot  find  no  book.'' 

2.  Do  not  use  an  adjective  when  an  adverb  should  be  used; 
"real"  for  "very",     "I  am  real  glad  to  see  you." 

3.  Lesser  is  now  rarely  used  for  comparative  form,  less  being 
the  correct  form.  "Of  two  evils  choose  the  less."  "He  is 
a  lesser  light,"  is  allowable,  however. 

Choose  correct  word. 

1.  She  dressed  neat  or  neatly. 

2.  Do  you  write  plainly  or  plain? 

3.  The  rose  smells  sweet  or  sweetly? 

4.  She  feels  badly  or  bad? 

5.  The  egg  boiled  soft  or  softly? 

6.  He  acted  bad  or  badly? 

7.  I  feel  badly  or  bad  over  your  misfortune? 

Exercise. 

1.  There  were  less  than  twenty  people  there. 

2.  Every  pair  of  curtains  and  every  yard  of  curtain  material 
are  included. 

3.  He  does  not  use  good  grammar. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  75 

4.  He  is  the  right  kind  of  a  teacher. 

5.  A  young,  honest,  industrious  stenographer  is  wanted. 

6.  The  world  does  not  want  those  kind  of  bookkeepers. 

7.  He  engaged  a  capable  and  an  industrious  assistant,   (one 
person) 

8.  We  have  just  received  a  fresh  consignment  of  berries. 

9.  The  two  children  love  one  another. 

10.  The  five  girls  divided  the  apples  among  each  other. 

11.  I  was  real  glad  to  go. 

12.  None  of  her  friends  was  there. 

13.  Neither  of  the  boys  are  going. 

14.  If  you  are  fond  of  those  sort  of  things  you  may  have  them. 

15.  Sew  the  buttons  on  good  and  strong. 

16.  How  are  you  getting  along?    Oh,  pretty  good. 

17.  He  sing  an  awful  lot. 

18.  How  sourly  those  apples  taste. 

19.  Tom  came  latest. 

20.  This  is  the  most  perfect  drawing  I  have  seen. 

21.  Do  not  buy  any  more  of  those  sort  of  pencils. 

22.  Which  is  the  heaviest,  hers  or  mine? 

23.  Neither  of  the  three  methods  is  correct. 

24.  I  have  three  kind  of  pens. 

25  He  had  twenty  variety  of  pens. 

26.  I  think  you  acted  foolish  in  refusing  it. 

27.  This  is  the  most  perpendicular  of  three  lines. 

28.  A  more  happier  student  is  seldom  found. 

29.  She  is  a  graduate  from  the  Industrial  and  the  Classical 
departments. 

30.  What  kind  of  a  book  did  you  buy? 

Use  of  Words. 

Brilliant  is  a  stronger  term  than  bright.  It  is  shining  with 
intense  or  sparkling  brightness  which  shines  with  a  changeful 
play.    Bright  is  used  in  a  variety  of  meanings, — shedding  light. 


76  HANDBOOK  OF 

reflecting  light,  etc.  Clean  means  free  from  filth  or  that  which 
is  foul.  In  a  moral  sense  it  means  that  which  is  free  from 
evil.  Cleanly  denotes  a  disposition  to  be  physically  clean.  It 
has  reference  to  the  habit.  One  is  qualified  by  training  or  other- 
wise, if  he  has  a  special  aptitude  for  certain  work.  He  is  com- 
petent when  he  has  simply  the  natural  powers.  Diffidence  is 
the  positive  distrust  of  one's  self.  Modesty  is  the  absence  of  any 
tendency  to  overestimate  one's  self.  Bashfulness  is  excessive 
or  extreme  modesty.     Reserve,  keeping  to  one's  self. 


LESSON  XXII. 
Verbs. 

A  verb  is  used  to  express  action,  being,  or  state  of  being ;  as, 
"John  reads  his  lesson." 

Classes. 

With  regard  to  their  use,  verbs  are  divided  into  three  classes ; 
Transitive,  Intransitive,  and  Attributive. 

A  Transitive  verb  in  the  active  voice  requires  an  object  to 
complete  its  meaning ;  as,  "Mary  lost  her  book."  "The  student 
learned  his  lesson.^' 

An  Intransitive  verb  does  not  require  an  object  to  complete 
its  meaning ;  as,  "Mary  sings." 

An  Attributive  verb  is  one  that  asserts  something  of  the  sub- 
ject and  connects  that  assertion  with  the  subject;  as,  "Chalk  is 
brittle."    "Sugar  is  white." 

Give  examples  illustrating  each  of  the  above. 

Modification. 

The  modifications  of  a  verb  are  Voice,  Mode,  Tense,  Person, 
and  Number. 


commercial  english  77 

Voice. 

Voice  is  a  form  of  the  transitive  verb  denoting  whether  the 
subject  acts,  or  is  acted  upon.  There  are  two  voices,  active  and 
passive.  The  active  voice  represents  the  subject  as  acting  upon 
an  object;  as,  "J^^^  struck  William."    "Tom  caught  the  ball." 

The  passive  voice  represents  the  subject  as  receiving  the  act ; 
as,  "William  was  struck  by  James."  "The  ball  was  caught." 

Mode. 

Mode  indicates  the  manner  of  asserting  the  action.  There 
are  five  modes;  Indicative,  Potential,  Imperative,  Subjunctive, 
and  Infinitive. 

Indicative. 

The  indicative  mode  asserts  a  fact.  "Birds  sing."  "Lucy- 
studies.'^ 

Potential. 

The  potential  mode  asserts  the  power,  liberty,  possibility,  or 
necessity  of  action  or  being  and  this  mode  uses  may,  can,  must, 
might,  could,  would,  or  should,  as  part  of  the  verb. 

Imperative. 

The  imperative  mode  asserts  the  action  or  being  as  a  com- 
mand or  an  entreaty;  as,  "John,  study  your  lesson." 

Subjunctive. 

The  subjunctive  mode  asserts  the  action  or  being  as  a  mere 
condition;  as,  "If  it  rains,  I  shall  remain  at  home." 

Infinitive. 
The  infinitive  mode  expresses  the  action  or  being  without 
affirming  it ;  as,  "To  study."     "She  arose  to  recite." 


78  HANDBOOK   OF 

Note. — The  subject  of  a  verb  in  the  infinitive  mode  is  always 
in  the  objective  case. 

The  infinitive  has  two  uses,  that  of  a  verbal  noun  and  that 
of  a  verb ;  as,  "I  told  him  not  to  fail"  —  As  the  subject  —  "To 
fail  now  would  be  a  disgrace."  —  As  an  object  —  "I  do  not 
want  to  fail."  —  As  predicate  complement  —  "His  weakness  is 
to  fail  to  spell  correctly."  —  As  the  object  of  a  preposition  — 
"He  meant  to  fail.'' 

Tense. 
The  tense  of  a  verb  denotes  the  time  of  the  action  or  being. 
There  are   six  tenses,  the   Present  tense,  the  Past  tense,  the 
Future  tense,  the  Present  Perfect  tense,  the  Past  Perfect  tense, 
and  the  Future  Perfect  tense. 

Present  Tense. 
The  Present  Tense  denotes  action  or  being  as  present;  as, 
"I  study." 

Past  Tense. 
The  Past  Tense  denotes  the  action  or  being  as  past;  as,  "I 
studied." 

Future  Tense. 
The  Future  Tense  denotes  the  action  or  being  as  yet  to  come ; 
as,  "I  shall  study." 

Present  Perfect  Tense. 
The  Present  Perfect  Tense  denotes  the  action  or  being  as 
completed  at  the  present  time;  as,  "I  have  studied." 

Past  Perfect  Tense. 
The  Past  Perfect  Tense  denotes  the  action  or  being  as  com- 
pleted at  some  past  time;  as,  "He  had  studied." 


commercial  english  79 

Future  Perfect  Tense. 

The  Future  Perfect  Tense  denotes  the  action  or  being  to  be 
completed  at  some  future  time;  as,  "I  shall  have  studied." 

Person  and  Number. 

Person  and  Number  as  applied  to  verbs  indicate  the  form 
to  be  used  with  each  number  and  person  of  the  subject. 

Form. 

Verbs  are  divided  in  respect  to  forms  into  two  classes ;  — 
Regular  and  Irregular. 

Regular. 

The  regular  ver-b  is  one  that  forms  its  Past  Tense  in  the 
indicative  mode,  active,  and  its  past  participle,  by  adding  ed  to 
the  present;  as,  Present,  act;  Past,  acted;  Past  Participle, 
acted. 

Irregular. 

An  irregular  verb  is  one  that  does  not  form  its  Past  Tense 
in  the  indicative  mode,  active,  and  its  past  participle  by  adding 
ed  to  the  present ;  as  Present,  go ;  Past,  went ;  Past  Participle, 
gone. 

Conjugation. 

Conjugation  is  the  regular  arrangement  of  all  the  forms  of 
the  verb  through  all  the  modes  and  tenses. 

Auxiliary  Verbs. 

Auxiliary  verbs  are  those  used  in  the  conjugation  of  other 
verbs. 

The  auxiliaries  are  he  and  its  variations,  did,  do,  have,  had 
shall,  should,  will,  would,  may,  might,  can,  could,  and  must. 


80  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  XXXIII. 

Use  of  Words. 

Great  implies  magnitude  and  may  be  applied  to  character 
as  well  as  to  concrete  objects.  Grand  implies  the  idea  of  ex- 
cellence. Magnificent,  majestic  in  appearance;  befitting  the 
great,  as  in  deeds,  manners  or  surroundings;  great  in  effect, 
promise  or  import.  Sublime  refers  to  objects  of  nature,  in- 
cluding the  ideas  of  loftiness  and  awe.  Aged  refers  to  people 
who  are  old.  Ancient  has  to  do  with  things  existing  at  a  dis- 
tant period.  Antique  refers  to  objects  of  an  ancient  period. 
Antiquated  means  old-fashioned. 

Aids  for  the  Agreement  of  Verbs. 

1.  A  verb  must  agree  with  its  subject  in  number  and  person; 
as,  "The  book  is  on  the  table." 

2.  A  collective  noun  requires  a  singular  verb  when  reference 
is  made  to  the  body  or  collection  as  a  whole;  but  when 
the  individuals  are  referred  to,  a  plural  verb  is  required ; 
as,  "The  committee  has  sent  in  its  report."  "The  com- 
mittee were  not  agreed." 

3.  When  a  verb  has  two  or  more  subjects  connected  by  and, 
denoting  plurality  of  ideas,  it  must  agree  with  them  in 
the  plural ;  as,  "My  table  and  typewriter  are  dusted." 

4.  When  a  verb  has  two  or  more  singular  subjects  connected 
by  or  or  nor,  it  must  agree  with  them  in  the  singular ;  as, 
"Either  Grace  or  Henry  has  the  book." 

5.  A  verb  having  two  or  more  subjects  of  different  mmiber 
connected  by  or  or  nor,  agrees  with  the  subject  nearest  to 
it,  and  is  understood  with  the  rest  in  the  person  and  num- 
ber required;  as,  "Neither  his  pencil  nor  his  books  are 
here." 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  81 

6.  When  the  subject  of  a  verb  is  a  relative  pronoun,  the  num- 
ber of  the  verb  is  determined  by  the  number  of  the  ante- 
cedent ;  as,  "A  boy  who  improves  his  mind  will  succeed." 

7.  Two  connected  subjects,  one  affirming,  the  other  denying, 
belong  to  different  propositions,  and  the  verb  must  agree 
with  the  affirmative  subject;  as,  "The  boy,  not  the  girl, 

is  ready  to  recite." 

8.  When  the  verb  separates  its  subject,  it  agrees  with  the 
subject  which  precedes  it  and  is  to  be  understood  after 
the  others;  as,  "John  was  here,  and  Frank  and  Lucy." 

9.  Two  or  more  subjects  connected  by  and,  but  preceded  by 
each,  every,  any,  require  a  singular  verb;  as  "Each  boy 
and  each  girl  was  silent." 

10.  When  a  subject  is  limited  by  two  or  more  adjectives,  it 
is  in  the  plural  if  each  adjective  is  preceded  by  an  article, 
but  in  the  singular  if  there  is  but  one  article  used;  as, 
"The  shorthand  and  the  bookkeeping  department  have 
their  work  well  arranged."  "The  shorthand  and  type- 
writing department  was  visited  by  the  committee." 

11.  When  a  singular  subject  is  followed  by  "as  well  as"  a 
singular  verb  should  always  be  used;  as,  "John,  as  well 
as  Mary,  is  to  blame." 

12.  When  one  of  the  subjects  is  to  be  made  emphatic,  the 
singular  verb  is  required  if  the  subject  to  be  emphasized  is 
singular,  otherwise,  the  plural  verb  should  be  used;  as, 
"Not  joys,  but  sorrow,  has  been  his  portion  in  life."  "Joys 
not  sorrow,  were  in  his  heart." 

13.  When  a  singular  subject  is  modified  by  a  phrase  intro- 
duced by  the  preposition  "with"  a  singular  verb  should 
always  be  used ;  as,  "The  child,  with  her  dog,  was  found 
near  the  river." 

14.  A  modifier  of  the  subject  of  the  sentence  does  not  affect 
the  form  of  the  verb;  as,  "Twenty  pounds  of  sugar  cost 
a  dollar." 


82  HANDBOOK   OF 

15.  When  the  indefinite  there  is  the  subject,  the  verb  con- 
forms to  the  number  of  the  noun  or  pronoun  following; 
as,  "There  are  a  few  questions  I  wish  to  ask.'^  "There 
is  but  one  thing  to  be  done." 

Choose  correct  form. 

1.  My  scissors  (need,  needs)  repairing. 

2.  (Was,  were)  you  here  yesterday? 

3.  The  meaning  of  these  letters  (is,  are)  not  clear. 

4.  The  pupil  who  (study,  studies)  earnestly  will  make 
progress. 

Exercise. 

1.  On  the  table  there neatly  and  handily  arranged 

two  pipes. 

2.  The  introduction  of  such  beverages  as  tea  and  coffee 
not  without effects. 

3.  Neither  John  nor  Henry to  go. 

4.  John  or  Henry to  go. 

5.  Everybody there. 

■  6.     He  don't  know  me. 

7.  Each  of  the  pupils suspended. 

8.  Not  one  of  them convinced. 

9.  The  wind very  hard. 

10.  Measles broken  out  and  half  the  school 

absent. 

11.  I  to  stay  here. 

12.  I  loan  you  the  money. 

13.  Either  you  or  I in  the  wrong. 

14.  Grace  as  well  as  Emma going  tomorrow. 

15.  There thirty  days  in  September. 

16.  Ten  tons  of  hay $200.00. 

17.  Neither  the  boy  nor  his  parents here. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  83 

18.  The  stenographer,  not  the  bookkeeper to  blame. 

19.  The  manager,  not  the  assistants responsible. 

20.  The  child  at   the  parade,    and  her  father    and 

mother. 

21.  The  teacher  as  well  as  the  pupil  there. 

22.  Not  success  but  failures  shadowed  his  life. 

23.  The  professor,  with  his  son,  spending  vacation 

in  the  mountains. 

24.  There nothing  I  can  do. 

25.  There more  pupils  present  than  we  expected. 


LESSON  XXXIV. 

Use  of  Words. 

Proficient  pertains  to  skill  acquired.  Efficient  pertains  to 
the  quality  that  brings  all  one's  power  to  bear  promptly  to  the 
best  purpose  on  the  thing  to  be  done.  Relate,  to  recount  par- 
ticulars, bringing  into  relation  or  connection  of  one  with  an- 
other. Tell,  to  communicate  knowledge  by  word  or  mouth. 
Narrate,  to  tell  either  in  speech  or  writing,  in  successive  order 
the  details  of.  Rehearse,  to  repeat  that  which  has  already  been 
spoken.  Trust,  a  confidence  in  the  reliability  of  persons  or 
things  without  special  or  careful  investigation.  Faith  is  a 
union  of  belief  and  trust,  is  chiefly  personal.  Confidence  is  a 
firm  dependence  upon  a  statement  as  true,  or  upon  a  person  as 
worthy.  Belief  is  the  acceptance  of  something  as  true  on  other 
grounds  than  personal  experience  and  observation.  In  religion 
a  distinction  is  made  between  intellectual  belief  of  a  religious 
truth  and  belief  of  the  heart.  Empty,  that  which  contains 
nothing  is  empty.  Usually  applied  to  common  or  homely 
things,  as  an  empty  dish.  Vacant  has  reference  to  rights  or 
possibilities  of  occupancy,  and  relates  to  things  of  dignity. 


84  handbook  of 

Mode. 
Aids. 

1.  Instead  of  the  present  subjunctive  forms,  "If  I  be,"  "If 
he  be,"  "If  it  be,"  the  indicative  forms  are  generally  em- 
ployed; but  the  subjunctive  forms,  "If  I  were,"  "If  he 
were,"  are  employed  by  the  best  speakers  and  writers. 
"If  I  (he,  she,  or  it)  was"  is  correct,  when  the  words  "and 
I  (he,  she,  or  it)  was"  can  be  supplied.  "If  I  (he,  she, 
or  it)  were"  when  the  words  "but  I  am  not  (or  he,  she 
or  it  is  not),"  can  be  supplied;  as,  "If  I  was  mistaken, 
(and  I  was),  then  I  am  sorry."  "If  I  were  mistaken  (but 
I  am  not),  I  should  make  an  apology." 

2.  The  infinitive  sign  to  should  never  be  used  for  the  full 
form;  as,  "I  have  not  spoken  about  it  and  do  not  intend 
to,"  should  be  "I  have  not  spoken  about  it  and  do  not 
intend  to  do  so. 

3.  The  present  tense  of  the  infinitive  should  follow  verbs  ex- 
pressing hope,  intention,  desire,  command,  or  expectation ; 
as,  I  had  hoped  to  meet  you,"  not  "I  had  hoped  to  have 
met  you."  "I  had  meant  to  call,"  instead  of  "I  had  meant 
to  have  called." 

4.  The  sign  "to"  must  not  be  separated  from  the  remaining 
part  of  the  infinitive;  as,  "He  will  tty  to  pay  promptly." 
not  "He  will  try  to  promptly  pay." 

5.  When  the  infinitive  refers  to  a  time  prior  to  that  of  the 
principal  verb,  the  perfect  infinitive  is  used;  as,  "I  am 
thankful  to  have  had  this  opportunity." 

Exercise. 

1.  I  am  delighted  to  see  her. 

2.  I  am  delighted  to  go. 

3.  I  am  happy  to  meet  her. 

4.  I  am  sorry  to  go  before  seeing  her. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  85 

5.  I  regret  not  seeing  her. 

6.  I  am  glad  to  greet  her. 

7.  I  am  happy  to  meet  you. 

8.  I  am  pleased  to  oblige  you. 

Tense. 

Aids. 

1.  In  complex  sentences,  the  time  indicated  by  the  verb  of 
the  dependent  sentence  must  not  conflict  with  that  indi- 
cated by  the  verb  of  the  principal  sentence;  as,  "I  shall 
type  when  she  comes." 

2.  Usually  when  the  tense  of  the  principal  verb  is  present, 
that  of  the  subordinate  verb  is  present,  and  when  the  tense 
of  the  principal  verb  is  past,  that  of  the  subordinate  verb 
is  past;  as,  "He  says  he  is  ill."  "He  said  he  was  ill." 

3.  When  the  time  of  the  principal  verb  is  past,  that  of  the 
subordinate  verb  must  not  be  present,  unless  the  subordi- 
nate sentence  states  a  fact  that  is  unchanging  and  univer- 
sal; as,  "He  said  he  was  studying  shorthand."  "He  said 
that  three  and  three  make  six." 

4.  In  passive  verb  phrases  and  phrases  denoting  complete 
time,  the  perfect  participle  of  the  verb  is  used ;  as,  "I  have 
seen  nothing  of  the  book.'^ 

Letter. 
Request  for  Extension  of  Time. 

1.  State  that  owing  to  the  dullness  of  trade,  you  find  yourself 
unable  to  meet  pa)m[ient  for  merchandise  bought  last 
month. 

2.  State  that  some  of  your  best  customers  disappointed  you. 

3.  Give  assurance  of  brightening  prospects,  and  of  your  ex- 
pectation that  you  will  be  able  to  pay  in  a  short  time. 

4.  State  that  if  the  time  can  be  extended  one  month,  you  feel 
confident  that  you  can  discharge  the  obligation. 


86  handbook  of 

Exercise. 

1.  What  did  you  say the  capital  of  Ohio? 

2.  He  says  nine  times  nine eighty-one. 

3.  I  have  not the  city. 

4.  I  have the  work. 

5.  I the  work. 

6.  She  would  have  liked  to (go  or  have  gone) . 

7.  I  had  meant  to (write  or  have  written) . 

8.  If  I  in  your  place  I  should  remain. 

9.  If  the  cup on  the  shelf  (and  it  was)  I  heard  it 

fall. 

10.  I  have  said  nothing  about  it  and  do  not  mean  to . 


Auxiliary. 


Aids. 


1.  When  two  or  more  auxiliary  verbs  are  used  with  reference 
to  one  principal  verb,  the  auxiliaries  and  the  principal 

verb  must  be  in  concord;  as,  "I  have  studied  and  shall  al- 
ways study  my  lessons."  not  "I  have  and  shall  always 
study  my  lessons." 

2.  Shall  in  the  first  person,  will  in  the  second  and  third, 
express  simple  futurity,  also  condition  beyond  the  control 
of  the  will;  as,  "I  shall  sing."  "He  will  sing."  "She  will 
sing."  But  will  in  the  first  person,  and  shall  in  the  second 
and  third,  express  determination;  as,  "I  will  go."  "He 
shall  go."     "They  shall  go." 

3.  Should  in  the  first  person,  would  in  the  second  and  third 
persons,  express  simple  contingent  futurity,  also  a  condi- 
tioii  beyond  the  control  of  the  will :  "I  should."  "You 
would."    "He  would." 

Would  in  the  first  person  and  should  in  the  second  and 
third  persons  express  contingent  promises,  willingness,  res- 
olution ;  "I  would  not  forgive  him."  "You  should  study  it." 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


87 


4.  The  auxiliary  that  is  required  in  the  answer  must  be  used 
in  the  question,  when  the  person  spoken  to  decides  the 
question  or  controls  the  speaker ;  as, 


Question. 

Will  you  go? 
Shall  you  come? 
Shall  he  come? 
Should  you  go? 
Should  they  go? 
Will  they  go? 


Determination 
Promise 
Determination 


Answer. 

I  will  go. 
I  thall  come. 
He  shall  come. 
I  should  go. 
They  should  go. 
They  will  go. 


5.  Should  is  used  to  express  propriety  or  expediency  and 
ought,  moral  obligation:  as,  "Students  should  keep  their 
desks  in  order."  "Students  ought  to  obey  the  rules  of  the 
school." 

6.  In  a  direct  quotation  would  and  should  are  used  as  in 
independent  constructions ;  as,  He  said,  "If  I  should,"  etc. 

7.  In  subordinate  clauses,  after  "if",  "though",  although", 
"when",  "until",  etc.,  should  (or  shall)  is  used  in  all 
three  persons  unless  the  subject  is  thought  of  as  wishing 
or  consenting,  when  would  or  will  is  correct;  as,  "If  I 
should  sing  he  would  be  happy."  "Would  that  this  trouble 
had  never  come." 

8  May  or  might  expresses  permission  or  possibility  —  may 
being  used  in  the  present  and  might  in  the  past  tense ;  as, 
"I  may  leave  Monday."  "I  might  have  gone  last  week." 
There  is  no  essential  difference  between  the  use  of  may 
and  that  of  might,  the  words  being  used  according  to  the 
tense  form  required ;  as,  "I  may  go  if  I  can  find  some  one 
to  take  my  place,"  or  "I  might  go  if  I  could  find  some 
one  to  take  my  place.'^ 

9.  Can  and  could  express  ability;  as,  "I  can  climb  that  pole" 
or  "He  could  have  won  the  race." 


88  handbook  of 

Suggestions. 

1.  Little  trouble  will  be  experienced  if  the  pupil  remembers 
that  the  words  lie,  rise,  sit,  fall,  are  used  when  the  body 
possesses  the  power  to  act;  as,  "I  sit."  While  the  verbs 
lay,  raise,  set,  fell,  are  used  when  the  power  is  applied 
to  the  body;  as,  "I  raised  the  boy."  "He  set  the  chair 
here." 

Of  the  first  group  we  have: 

Intransitive  Transitive. 

Lie  —  lay  —  lain  Lay  —  laid  —  laid 

Rise  —  rose  —  risen  Raise  —  raised  — raised 

Sit  —  sat  —  sat  Set  —  set  —  set 

Fall  —  fell  —  fallen  Fell  —  felled  —  felled 

2.  The  following  verbs  are  sometimes  confused  —  flee,  fled, 
fled,  (to  run  away).  Fly,  flew,  flown  (To  move  in  the 
air).  Flow,  flowed,  flowed,  (to  move  by  gravity  as  a 
liquid). 

3.  The  following  verbs  should  never  be  used  with  has,  have, 

or  had.    When  such  use  is  desired,  change  the  "a"  to  "u". 
Sank,  drank,  sprang,  sang,  began. 

4.  Never  use  has,  have,  had  with  got. 

Use  flee,  fly,  flow,  in  the  following  sentences. 

1.  The  thief from  justice. 

2.  The  whole  valley  was  —  with  water. 

3.  The  bird  has  . 

4.  The  house  was by  birds. 

5.  The  hounds  the  track. 

6.  The  air  was  filled  with  timber. 

7.  The  water  has  over  the  bridge. 

8.  The  engine  fairly  along  the  rails. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


89 


Use  shall  or  will. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 
10 
11 

12. 


I  consider  it  a  favor. 

I  am  resolved  that  I  do  it. 

I  go  to  Europe  or  not?    You 


He 
He 
We 
I  - 


sit  and  read  for  hours. 

pay  his  bills.      (Promise.) 

pay  our  bills.     (Determination.) 


keep  my  promise.    (Determination). 

Mother  says  that  you have  a  pleasant  visit. 


I  

I  

know  my  decision. 
Trusting  that  we  - 


you  be  glad  to  go.     I  

—  will  be  sixteen  in  June. 

—  deliver  your  message  and  you 


-soon 


have  an  early  reply,  we  are. 


Use  should  or  would. 


He 


He  cannot  come  if  I 


go.     (meaning  obligation.) 


go- 


You 
She 


that  I  were  rich. 

not  use  such  language. 

start  in  spite  of  the  rain,  (determination.) 


Use  some  form  of  each  of  the  following:  drink,  sing,  ring, 
begin. 

1.  I  a  glass  of  water  before  breakfast. 

2.  I  have all  the  water  in  the  pitcher. 

3.  I  several  songs  last  evening. 

4.  She  has  the  latest  songs  to  an  interested  audi- 


ence. 
I  — 


They 

I  had 

Has  the  bell 
She  


this  letter  yesterday. 

—  to  think  that  he  did  not  intend  to  go. 

several  glasses  of  water  today. 


the  bell. 


90  HANDBOOK   OF 

10.  Has  he all  the  water  in  the  pitcher? 

11.  He  the  work  yesterday. 

Use  can,  may,  or  might. 

1.  I  shall  speak  to  my  countrymen,  if  I . 

2.     I  climb  the  roof. 

3.     I  go?     You  . 

4.  Who resist  his  pleadings.? 

5.  Water not  flow  up  hill. 

6.  No  one solve  the  problem  of  life. 

7.  Teacher,  please I  be  excused? 

8. the  Eskimos  live  in  the  tropics. 

9.  He  whose  legs  are  sound walk,  but  he ^ 

not  walk  on  the  grass. 

Use  lie  or  lay. 

1.  John on  the  bed. 

2.  My  road through  France. 

3.  The  book  on  the  table. 

4.  Let  it  there,  while  I  down  to  rest. 

5.  He  has there  all  day. 

6.  Let  it there. 

7.  The  old  lady  has  gone  to  sleep,  while  there. 

8.  We  have our  plans. 

9.  Please  that  down. 

10.  I  was  so  tired  that  I down  to  rest. 

11.  I  was  so  tired  that  I me  down  to  rest. 

12.  If  one  is  sick  he  should down. 

13.  These  eggs  were  yesterday. 

14.    the  books  on  the  table  and  let  them  ' 

there. 

Use  raise  and  rise. 
1.     He \ himself  with  difficulty. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  91 


2.  The  river  has . 

3.  The  river  has  the  bridge. 

4.  My  bread  will  not  . 

5.  We the  log. 

6.  The of  the  water  caused  the  log  to 


Use  fall  and  fell. 

1.  Are  they  going  to the  tree? 

2.  He the  tree  yesterday. 

3.  The  tree  was  by  the  wind. 

4.  I  am  glad  you  have in  with  good  company. 

5.  The  baby  down  stairs. 

6.  The  woodmen  had the  tree  before  the  overseer 

arrived. 

Use  set  and  sit. 

1.  Henry out  on  a  long  journey. 

2.  The  hen  is . 

3.  He  is  as  cross  as  a hen. 

4.  John  was the  hen  on  her  nest. 

5.  Your  coat well. 

6.  The  boy the  plants  on  the  table. 

7.  He still  for  an  hour. 

8.     the  lamp  on  the  stand. 

9.  The  jury for  three  days. 

10.  Court the  first  Monday  in  October. 

11.  One a  hen  and  she on  the  eggs. 

12.  The of  eggs  was  sold  at  a  high  price. 

LESSON  XXXV. 

Participles. 

A  participle  is  a  word  derived  from  a  verb,  and  is  used 
either  as  a  modifier  or  a  verb;  as,  "singing." 


92  handbook  of 

The  Participle  and  its  Forms. 

The  Participle  has  two  forms,  present  and  perfect.  The 
present  participle  expresses  action  or  state  in  progress  and  is 
formed  by  adding  "ing"  to  the  simply  form;  as,  "thinking, 
seeing,"  The  past  participle  expresses  the  action  or  state 
either  as  completed  in  the  past  or  just  completed  and  is  some- 
times called  the  perfect  participle. 

Uses. 

The  Participle  has  two  uses ;  that  of  a  modifier  and  that  of 
a  verb.  When  used  as  a  modifier,  it  may  be:  (a)  a  Verbal 
adjective;  as,  "The  boy,  studying  continually,  injured  his 
health."  (b)  an  Adjective  purely;  as,  "The  singing  bird  fell 
from  its  perch."  When  used  as  a  verb  the  participle  may  ex- 
press action  or  state  with  a  noun  in  the  Nominative  case,  which 
is  known  as  the  absolute  or  independent  construction ;  as,  "The 
boy  having  studied  knew  his  lesson."  (c)  An  Attribute  Com- 
plement; as,  "The  child  is  laughing." 

Helps. 

1.  A  participle  used  as  an  adjective  modifier  should  never 
be  used  without  a  subject;  as,  "Hoping  to  receive  an 
early  reply,  Yours  truly,"  correct  form,  "Hoping  to  re- 
ceive an  early  reply,  I  am  Yours  truly." 

2.  The  noun  or  pronoun  preceding  the  gerund  must  be  in 
the  possessive  case;  as,  "The  boy's  being  ill  changed  our 
plans.'* 

3.  When  a  transitive  participle,  used  as  a  noun,  is  limited  by 
some  preceding  word,  the  preposition  of  is  required  to 
govern  the  object  following;  as,  "Much  studying  of  the 
shorthand  principles,  will  enable  you  to  master  the  sub- 
ject." 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  93 

4.  When  the  transitive  participle  is  not  limited  by  a  pre- 
ceding word,  the  preposition  of  should  not  be  used. 
"Studying  shorthand  principles  thoughtfully,  has  put  him 
ahead  of  the  class." 

5.  That  the  use  of  the  participle  and  the  infinitive  may  not 
confuse  you,  the  following  may  be  of  use:  (a.)  After  the 
verb  that  signifies  to  omit,  to  avoid,  to  prevent,  etc.,  gen- 
erally use  the  participle;  as,  "He  will  avoid  singing  if 
possible."  (b.)  After  verbs  that  signify  to  try,  or  to 
intend,  generally  use  the  infinitive ;  as,  "I  tried  to  study.'^ 
(c.)  After  the  various  forms  of  the  verb  begin,  com- 
mence, desist,  practice,  generally  use  the  participle;  as, 
"I  began  typing  at  eight  o'clock." 

6.  The  participle  should  not  be  used  when  an  ordinary  noun, 
a  verbal  noun,  a  verb  in  the  infinitive,  or  a  substantive 
phrase  or  clause  expresses  the  meaning  more  accurately 
or  more  clearly;  as,  "It  is  easier  listening  than  speaking" 
—  should  be  "It  is  easier  to  listen  than  to  speak. 

Exercise. 
Misused  Participles. 

1.  The  reading  good  books  improves  the  mind. 

2.  The  learning  shorthand  requires  patience. 

3.  The  educating  children  is  a  responsible  undertaking. 

4.  Observation  the  rules  of  health  will  enable  us  to  avoid 
sickness. 

5.  It  is  easier  asking  questions  than  answering  them. 

6.  I  intend  staying  all  day. 

7.  No  one  likes  being  in  debt. 

8.  We  were  just  discussing  of  the  propriety  of  doing  so. 

9.  The  careful  studying  lessons  will  bring  good  results. 
10.     I  prefer  singing  the  song. 


94  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  XXXVI. 

Adverbs. 

1.     An  adverb  is  a  word  used  to  modify  the  meaning  of  a 
verb,  an  adjective  or  another  adverb. 

An  adverb  may  be  used  (1)  As  an  adverb  to  modify 
a  verb;  as,  "The  doorbell  rings  merrily/'  (2)  As  an  in- 
terrogative adverb  to  ask  a  question;  ''How  do  you  pre- 
pare your  lesson?"  (3)  As  a  conjunction  adverb;  as, 
"The  machine  looks  like  new  when  she  cleans  it." 

The  adverb  may  be  divided  into  seven  classes : 

1.  Adverbs  of  manner  —  answering  the  question  how?  "She 
sings  sweetly/' 

2.  Adverbs  of  place  —  answering  the  question  where?    "He 
went  there/' 

3.  Adverbs  of  time  —  answering  the  question  when?     "She 
studies  now/' 

4.  Adverbs  of  degree  —  answering  the  question  how  much? 
"It  is  nearly  done." 

5.  Adverbs   of   cause   and   effect  —  answering   the  question 
why?     ''Therefore,  we  continued  our  journey." 

6.  Adverbs  of  number  —  answering  the  question  how  many? 
Firstly,  Secondly. 

7.  Adverbs  of  affirmation  and  negation ;  as,  Yes  and  no. 

Modification. 
Adverbs  have  but  one  modification ;  viz.,  Comparison. 

General  Rule. 

An  adverbial  modifier  should  be  placed  as  near  as  possible  to 
the  word  that  it  modifies. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  95 

Aids. 

1.  An  adverb  that  modifies  an  intransitive  verb  usually  fol- 
lows the  verb ;  as,  "She  spoke  hastily." 

2.  An  adverb  that  modifies  a  transitive  verb  usually  precedes, 
to  prevent  the  separation  of  the  verb  and  its  object;  as, 
"She  gladly  gave  the  book  to  me." 

3.  When  an  adverb  of  time  and  an  adverb  of  place  modify 
the  same  verb,  the  adverb  of  time  is  placed  first,  and  that 
of  manner  second;  as,  "She  seldom  goes  there." 

4.  Adverbs  should  not  be  used  as  adjectives  or  adjectives 
as  adverbs;  as,  "She  did  the  work  good."  (adj.)  instead 
of.;  "She  did  the  work  well."  (adv.) 

5.  Particular  care  should  be  given  to  the  following: 

farther    distance. 

further    additional. 

most highest  degree. 

nearly   applied  to  quantity,  time  or  space. 

almost to  degree. 

Hence,  whence,  thence,  should  never  be  preceded  by  from. 

6.  The  adverb  "that"  should  not  be  used  in  place  of  the 
adverb  so;  as,  "The  book  was  that  thick,"  correct  "The 
book  was  so  thick." 

7.  Special  care  must  be  taken  to  place  the  adverbs  "only," 
"chiefly,"  "merely,^'  and  "solely,"  in  such  position  that  the 
meaning  may  not  be  misunderstood;  as,  "He  spoke  only 
on  this  matter."    Not,  "He  only  spoke  on  this  matter." 

Misused  Adverbs,  (point  out  the  errors.) 

1.  I  feel  remarkable  well. 

2.  His  sister  has  acted  very  strange  in  the  matter. 

3.  I  never  knew  a  more  happier  man. 


96  HANDBOOK   OF 

4  The  patient  suffered  intense. 

5.  You  should  listen  more  attentive. 

6.  They  will  pay  the  check  if  you  present  it  prompt. 

7.  The  rose  smells  sweetly. 

8.  From  whence  does  he  come? 

9.  For  what  does  the  lady  look  so  ^beautiful? 

10.  I  like  never  to  hear  a  person  slander  his  neighbor. 

11.  We  seldom  or  ever  see  such  Indians. 

12.  We  are  only  following  your  orders. 

13.  Do  not  merely  read  this  page  but  read  this  other  also. 

14.  He  is  considered  generally  insane. 

15.  We  now  are  prepared  to  promptly  fill  all  orders. 

16.  You  can  depend  upon  him  to  faithfully  see  you. 

17.  The  cushion  feels  softly. 

18.  I  don't  want  no  coffee. 

19.  The  orange  tastes  sourly. 

20.  My  head  feels  badly. 

21.  Some  birds  fly  more  swifter  than  others. 

22.  The  mills  of  God  grind  slowly  but  they  grind  exceeding 
fine. 

23.  I  sort  o'  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan. 

24.  I  feel  kind  o'  tired. 

25.  I  remember  most  all  the  books  of  the  Bible. 

26.  He  is  kind  of  slow. 

27.  A  more  perfect  specimen  could  not  be  found. 

28.  Draw  that  line  more  perpendicular. 

29.  He  does  no  talk  near  so  must  as  he  did. 

30.  I  arrived  safely. 

31.  He  came  near  falling  down  stairs. 

32.  He  came  near  being  killed. 

33.  He  writes  good. 

34.  There  isn't  hardly  any  use. 

35.  I  am  very  pleased  to  see  you. 


commercial  english  97 

Prepositions. 
LESSON  XXXVII. 

1.  A  PREPOSITION  is  a  word  used  to  show  the  relation 
between  a  noun  or  pronoun  before  which  it  is  usually 
placed,  and  some  other  words  in  the  sentence;  as,  "The 
book  is  on  the  table." 

Aids. 

1.  Avoid  ending  a  sentence  with  a  preposition. 

2.  Prepositions  should  not  be  omitted  when  needed  to  com- 
plete the  sense;  as,  "Alum  Rock  Park  is  the  east  of  San 
Jose"  should  read,  "Alimi  Rock  Park  is  on  the  east  side 
of  San  Jose,"  or,  "Alum  Rock  is  east  of  San  Jose." 

3.  Unnecessary  use  of  prepositions  should  be  avoided;  as, 
"He  cut  a  slice  off  of  the  loaf." 

4.  Prepositional  modifiers  should  be  so  placed  that  the 
meaning  intended  will  be  clear;  as,  "She  could  see  that 
the  machine  was  dirty,  with  but  a  single  eye."  Should 
read  "She  could  see  with  but  a  single  eye  that  the  machine 
was  dirty." 

5.  Care  should  be  taken  to  use  the  proper  preposition  to  ex- 
press the  meaning  intended;  as.  ^^On  means  merely  over, 
or  resting  upon  a  thing,  while  upon  conveys  the  idea  of 
motion;  as,  "The  man  stood  on  the  unfinished  floor." 
"The  man  stepped  upon  the  rock  in  the  creek. 

Exercise. 

Supply  prepositions  where  it  is  correct  to  do  so. 

1.  The  bird  flew the  window. 

2.  He  was  accused stealing  goods. 

3.  He  listened the  music the  waves. 


98  HANDBOOK  OF 

4.  Five  boys  agreed themselves buy  melons. 

5.  What's  the  matter  him? 

6.  I  was  not home. 

7.  This  is  different that. 

8.  He  is fault the  matter. 

9.  The  dog  ran the  bridge. 

10.  The  man  fell the  sidewalk. 

11.  The  cat  jimiped the  table. 

13.  He  lives a  mile here. 

13.  It  is  ten  minutes  six. 

14.  Will  you  accept  this  token? 

15.  She  is sixty  years age. 

16.  In  compliance your  request,  we  mail  you  our  price 

list. 

17.  Working  in  an  office  is  different attending  College. 

18.  We  got the  car. 

19.  The  boy  climbed the  chair. 

20.  You  write  differently what  you  did  last  year. 

21.  The  soil  is  adapted com. 

22.  I  differ you. 

23.  I  congratulate  you your  success. 


Correct. 

1.  He  died  of  pneumonia. 

2.  I  study  of  evenings. 

3.  It  is  all  right  in  so  far  as  I  am  concerned. 

4.  I  arrived  on  time. 

5.  Where  is  my  book  at? 

6.  Will  you  accept  of  this  token. 

7.  Cut  the  slice  off  of  the  loaf. 

8.  He  received  his  pay  and  fifty  cents  over. 

9.  He  is  worthy  our  kindness. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  99 

LESSON  XXXVIII. 
Conjunctions. 

1.  A  conjunction  is  a  word  used  to  connect  words,  phrases 
and  clauses;  as,  ''Grapes  and  peaches  are  raised  in  the 
Santa  Clara  Valley." 

Classes. 

Conjunctions  are  divided  into  t^vo  classes,  Co-ordinate  and 
Subordinate. 

Co-ordinate  Conjunctions  join  words,  phrases,  and  clauses  of 
equal  rank;  as,  "J^^^  studied  her  lesson  and  Mary  practiced 
her  music." 

Subordinate  Conjunctions  join  phrases  of  unequal  rank;  as, 
"When  she  comes,  we  shall  be  ready  to  go.'* 
Conjunctions  used  in  pairs  are  called  Correlatives  as,  "Either 
she  or  I  will  go." 

Aids. 

1.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  proper  Correlatives 
be  used  together;  as,  ^'Neither  she  or  I  will  go,"  should 
read  "Neither  she  nor  I  will  go." 

2.  "As"  is  the  Correlative  of  "as"  when  there  is  an  expres- 
sion or  question  of  equality ;  as,  "Tom  is  as  tall  as  John." 

3.  "As"  is  the  Correlative  of  "so"  when  an  inequality  is 
expressed,  or  when  an  infinitive  follows,  as,  "Mary  is 
not  so  studious  as  she  was  last  month." 

4.  "Then"  should  not  be  used  for  "than"  as,  "Paul's  work  is 
better  then  (use  than)  Jean's." 

5.  Avoid  using  the  expression,  "but  what"  for  "that" ;  as, 
"I  do  not  know  but  what  (use  that)  she  will  go." 


100  handbook  of 

Supply  Blank. 


He  will  try do  his  duty. 

I  shall  try answer  soon. 

He  will  not  go you  do. 

Neither  John his  brother  could  go. 

He  is  a  better  boy you. 

one  will  go. 

Correct. 


7.  I  shall  not  go  except  you  go  also. 

8.  I  do  not  know  if  he  will  go. 

9.  This  is  not  as  long  as  that. 

10.  This  is  not  as  large  as  that. 

11.  She  is  so  tall  as  Mary. 

12.  This  bank  is  so  large  as  the  other. 

Letter. 

Calling  attention  to  an  error. 

1.  State  that  you  received  $34.00  on  account,  but  that  the  bill 
rendered  shows  the  total  amount  to  be  $34.50. 

2.  You  hope  that  the  oversight  may  be  rectified. 


LESSON  XXXIX. 

Interjections. 

An  interjection  is  a  word  used  to  denote  strong  or  sudden 
emotion. 

Aid. 

The  interjection  "Oh"  should  never  be  used  when  addressing 
a  person,  place  or  thing  —  use  "O." 


commercial  english 
Misused  Interjections.  '•>•  '^»  •• 

Oh,  Mother  come. 

Oh,  dear  me. 

O,  how  it  pains  me. 

Use  the  Following  in  Sentences: 
O  Jennie,  Alas,  Pshaw,  Oh,  Hurrah,  Beware,  Stop. 


'  101 


Exercise. 

Name  the  Part  of  Speech  as  Indicated  Below. 

1.  There  is  nothing  so  strong  as  truth. 

2.  \  zm  as  tall  as  you. 

3.  No  such  person  as  he  lives  there. 

4.  As  soon  as  he  comes,  I  shall  go. 

5.  Like  begets  like. 

6.  She  sings  like  an  angel. 

7.  The  girl  is  like  her  mother. 

8.  I  like  the  work. 

9.  There  is  no  place  like  home. 

10.  Think  before  you  speak. 

11.  We  stood  before  the  picture. 

12.  Both  men  will  go. 

13.  Both  went. 

14.  They  were  both  tired  and  hungry. 

15.  It  is  true  for  she  told  me. 

16.  He  bought  it  for  me. 

17.  Since  you  wish  it,  I  shall  go. 

18.  We  have  had  no  rain  since  June. 

19.  I  have  not  seen  her  since. 

20.  I  believe  that  he  will  succeed. 

21.  This  is  the  first  one  that  came. 

22.  That  knife  will  do. 


102  HANDBOOK  OF 

23.  V/c  know  what  he  wished. 

24.  What  have  you  heard  ? 

25.  What  beautiful  flowers. 

26.  What  by  study  and  work  I  learned  it. 

27.  ^i^a^'  Shall  I  give  up  shorthand?    No! 

28.  I  saw  the  well. 

29.  The  water  wells  up. 

30.  He  did  it  well. 

31.  He  is  a  well  boy  today. 

32.  Well!  Well!  it's  you. 

3Z.  If  it  is  true  then  he  can  go. 

34.  I  went  then. 

35.  Sit  a  while. 

36.  I  shall  while  away  the  time. 

37.  They  listened  while  she  spoke. 

38.  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  him. 

39.  We  have  not  yet  completed  it. 

40.  The  boy  went. 

41.  The  deeper  the  well  the  cooler  the  water. 

42.  The  more  I  study  science  the  better  I  like  it. 

43.  All  hut  him  went. 

44.  I  have  made  hut  this  trip. 

45.  It  is  not  he  hut  you. 

46.  Neither  went. 

47.  Either  you  or  I  shall  go. 

Letter  of  Censure  to  an  Agent. 

John  W.  Watkins,  Seattle,  Washington,  is  your  agent  for 
some  article,  book,  or  machine,  as  you  may  choose.  His  orders 
have  decreased  in  number  to  such  an  extent  that  you  find  it 
necessary  to  call  his  attention  to  the  fact.  In  doing  so  be  care- 
ful not  to  incur  his  displeasure.  Bear  the  following  hints  in 
mind  while  composing  the  letter: — 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  103 

1.  Call  attention  to  the  few  orders  sent  —  with  conditions 
favorable. 

2.  Compare  the  result  with  previous  trips  to  this  territory. 

3.  The  financial  condition  of  the  country  is  good  —  there 
should  be  an  increase,  not  a  decrease  in  sales. 

4.  Ask  for  an  explanation  if  he  has  one  to  give. 

5.  Allow  him  a  little  time  for  improvement. 

6.  Ask  for  an  early  reply. 

Supply  the  Correct  Word. 

1.  Keep  back  thy  servant  from  presumptive  —  presumptuous 
sins. 

2.  He  was  certainly  presumptuous  —  presumptive  in  com- 
ing to  me,  an  entire  stranger,  to  ask  that  favor. 

3.  I  worked  in  a  flour  mill  previous  —  previously  to  my  com- 
ing here. 

4.  It  is  quite  —  somewhat  warm  today. 

5.  You  are  quite  —  entirely  welcome. 

6.  Rarely  ever  —  if  ever,  was   President   McKinley  absent 
from  Sunday  morning  service  at  church. 

7.  There  are  scarcely  —  hardly  enough  books  for  the  choir. 

8.  Do  you  care  for  those  —  that  sort  of  plays? 

9.  We  bought  this  kind  —  these  kind  of  oranges. 


LESSON  XL. 

Capitalize. 

1.  The  first  word  of  every  sentence;   as,   "The  boy  went 
home." 

2.  All  proper  nouns;  as,  "He  called  John  to  the  office." 

3.  Every  line  of  poetry:  as, 

"Into  each  life  some  rain  must  fall. 
Some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary." 


104  HANDBOOK  OF 

4.  The  days  of  the  week,  and  the  months  of  the  year ;  as, 
"He  comes  Monday."     "I  was  born  in  December." 

5.  The  points  of  the  compass  meaning  location;  as,  *'She 
will  go  South  for  the  winter." 

6.  I  and  O,  when  standing  alone;  as,  "Yes,  O  mother,  you 
and  I  are  to  go." 

7.  Oh,  when  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence;  as,  "Oh,  how 
sad  it  is  I  must  fail !" 

8.  Titles  of  books,  historical  events,  essays,  newspapers,  etc., 
(except  articles,  prepositions  and  conjunctions  not  begin- 
ning a  sentence)  ;  as,  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  "The  Civil 
War."     "The  San  Francisco  Chronicle." 

9.  Proper  adjectives;  as,  "The  American  girl  is  self- 
reliant.^'  If  the  proper  adjective  by  long  usage  expresses 
some  quality  without  reference  to  original  word  do  "not" 
capitalize;  as,  "I  like  prussian  blue  for  this  work." 

10.  Titles  when  preceding  the  name;  as,  "President  Taft  has 
chosen  his  cabinet."  "The  first  president  of  our  society 
was  present." 

11.  The  first  word  of  direct  quotation  (making  complete 
sense)  unless  preceded  by  if,  that,  or  similar  words;  as 
Andrew,  said  "Yes,  I  am  here." 

12.  Abbreviations  of  proper  nouns  and  titles;  as,  **Wm. 
James,  D.  D." 

13.  Pronouns  referring  to  the  Deity;  as,  "Christ  said  He 
would  come  again." 

14.  Initials;  as,  "T.  J.  Smith." 

15.  Articles  and  items  in  formal  bills  and  business  accounts 
and  sums  of  money;  as,  "Enclosed  find  Two  Hundred 
Dollars,  for  which  send  the  following: 

100  copies  "Life  of  Lincoln." 
150  copies  "War  in  South  Africa." 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  105 

16.  The  first  word  of  complimentary  closing,  and  both  words 
in  salutation,  also  words  denoting  a  relationship;  as 
"Yours  truly,"  "Dear  Sir:"  "My  dear  Friend:" 

17.  Religious  denominations,  business  firms,  societies,  noted 
eras,  and  measures;  as  "Presbyterian."  "Merchants  Dis- 
patch."    Ladies'   Aid."     "Middle  Ages."   "Stamp  Act." 

18.  Sub-headings;  as  "Sentences  (a.)  Simple,  (b.)  Complex, 
(c.)   Compound." 

19.  Words  personified;  as,  "Grim  Death  stalked  through  the 
land.'' 

20.  Specific  titles  when  preceded  by  the  proper  names;  as, 
"The  Rocky  Mountains."  "Mississippi  River."  "Geo.  B. 
Cortelyou,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury." 

21.  Goods  handled  or  manufactured  by  a  concern;  as,  "Call 
to  see  our  new  Morris  Chairs." 

22.  Company,  when  directly  referring  to  a  certain  firm  or 
corporation;  as,  "The  Linger  Company." 

23.  Military  designations;  as,  "Company  B." 

24.  Nicknames;  as,  "Badger."     "Buckeye." 

25.  No.  and  Sec.  and  use  these  abbreviations  only  when  fol- 
lowed by  figures,  otherwise  use  these  with  small  letters 
and  spell  out;  as,  "It  is  fourth  in  Sec.  2."  "I  do  not  find 
it  in  this  section." 

26.  Names  of  Courts;  as,  "The  Probate  Court  is  in  session." 

27.  Day,  when  referring  to  a  holiday;  as,  "Thanksgiving 
Day". 

28.  Roman  Numerals;  as,  "11",  "IV." 

29.  Words  following  a  colon,  unless  the  letter  is  used  simply 
to  separate  the  thought  of  a  sentence  the  subdivisions  of 
which  are  separated  by  a  semi-colon;  as,  "For  the  follow- 
ing reasons:  First,"  etc. 

30.  The  page  rarely,  if  ever,  when  abbreviated ;  as,  "p.  24." 


106  HANDBOOK  OF 

31.  The  important  statement  or  question;  as,  "The  next  ques- 
tion to  be  considered  is,  What  shall  be  done  with  the 
case?" 

32.  The  first  word  after  an  exclamation  point,  if  the  relation 
between  it  and  the  preceding  word  is  remote ;  as,  "Look  I 
Here  comes  the  procession." 

33.  Farenheit,  not  centigrade. 

34.  Mother,  Uncle,  General,  etc.,  when  used  as  terms  of  ad- 
dress; as,  "Mother  is  coming,  General." 


LESSON  XLI. 
Use  Proper  Capitalization. 

1.  the  bookkeeper  will  send  a  statement. 

2.  thomas  Jefferson  was  a  good  president. 

3.  be  still,  sad  heart,  and  cease  repining, 
behind  the  cloud  is  the  sun  still  shining. 

4.  friday  need  not  be  an  unlucky  day. 

5.  we  shall  go  east  in  may. 

6.  0  death,  where  is  thy  sting. 

7.  oh  why  should  he  say,  oh  do  not  come! 

8.  she  read  little  women  and  old  fashioned  girl  this  sum- 
mer. 

9.  do  you  take  scribner's  magazine? 

10.  the  german  people  are  usually  industrious. 

11.  san  jose  sent  260  telegrams  to  president  taft  relating  to 
the  exposition  for  1915. 

12.  the  teacher  said,  "yes,  we  require  an  average  of  90  per- 
cent. 

13.  jas  t  smith  was  elected  president.  \ 

14.  o  lord,  how  excellent  is  thy  name. 

15.  his  order  called  for  2  pes.  merrimac  prints  50  yd.  fancy 
gingham. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  107 

16.  the  letter  closed  with  the  words  yours  sincerely. 

17.  she  claimed  to  be  a  baptist. 

18.  he  was  a  prohibitionist  for  many  years. 

19.  the  boston  tea  party  was  referred  to  in  his  speech. 

20.  the  paper  was  arranged  as  follows: 

21.  as  fear  arose,  terror  seized  us  all. 

22.  step  aside,  see  honor  cometh. 

23.  we  crossed  the  mississippi  river. 

24.  we  climbed  the  rocky  mts  last  year. 

25.  he  was  puritanical  in  his  family  government. 

26.  she  displayed  Stoical  fortitude. 

27.  we  call  your  attention  to  our  fine  line  of  persian  rugs. 

28.  the  omaha  furniture  company  won  the  prize. 

29.  much  enthusiasm  was  aroused  as  company  g  marched  down 
the  street. 

30.  having  been  born  in  iowa  i  am  known  as  a  hawkeye. 

31.  the  lease  will  be  found  on  p.  9,  sec.  12. 

32.  the  circuit  court  sits  early  in  the  week. 

33.  the  accident  occurred  on  Christmas  day. 

34.  we  are  to  study  chaps.  V,  VI,  and  VII  today. 

35.  he  read  the  following  statements: 
first  the  lesson  is  important. 

second  it  is  required  for  the  completion  of  the  work. 

36.  he  said  the  question  *'what  is  to  be  done  for  her  develop- 
ment?" is  causing  me  much  anxiety. 

37.  you  will  find  the  lesson  on  p.  42. 

38.  hurrah  the  snow  is  falling!    According  to  farenheit  the 
mercury  registered  today  10  degrees  below  zero. 

39.  i  am  to  take  a  position  as  bookkeeper  for  uncle. 

40.  if  god  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us? 

41.  he  went  west. 

42.  his  conduct  was  puritanical  in  the  extreme. 

43.  he  was  possessed  of  satanic  spirit. 


108  HANDBOOK  OF 

44.  he  quoted  to  me  this  proverb :  where  there's  a  will,  there's 
a  way. 

45.  our  teacher  often  repeated  this  sentence:  "there  is  no 
royal  road  to  learning." 

46.  if  "want  of  care  does  us  more  damage  than  want  of 
knowledge,"  our  careless  ways  ought  to  be  diligently  re- 
formed. 

47.  it  is  reported  that  senator  brown  will  speak  to-day. 

48.  richard  the  lionhearted  was  king  of  england. 

49.  his  place  of  residence  is  the  hotel  Windsor. 

Use  of  Words. 

Endemic,  disease,  one  that  is  peculiar  to  the  people  of  a  par- 
ticular nation  or  community.  Epidemic  is  a  disease  in  which 
the  cause  acts  upon  a  large  number  of  people  at  the  same  time. 
Envious  denotes  a  feeling  of  unhappiness  caused  by  the  con- 
templation of  any  good  enjoyed  by  another.  Jealous  indicates 
envy  mixed  with  rivalry.  One  is  jealous  of  another  when  the 
latter  stands  in  some  relation  to  a  third  which  the  former 
wishes  to  occupy.  Extraordinary  pertains  to  that  which  is  out 
of  the  ordinary.  Remarkable  denotes  something  that  causes 
remark. 

Period. 

The  Period  should  be  used: 

1.     After  every  complete  declarative  or  imperative  sentence; 

as,  "His  stenographer  is  ill."    "Come  quickly  or  we  shall 

miss  the  car." 

2.  After    abbreviate^!    words    and    initials;    as,    "J as.    R. 
Thomas." 

3.  After  Roman  numerals;  as,  Chap.  VI. 

4.  After  letters  used  to  denote  titles;  as,  "Francis  Summers, 
M.  D." 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  109 

5.  After  titles,  headings  and  side-heads,  but  may  be  omitted 
from  title  pages  and  after  Arabic  numerals,  unless  used 
in  an  enumeration  of  particulars;  as,  "The  bones  of  the 

'^       body  are  divided  as  follows: 

1.  The  bones  of  the  Head. 

2.  The  bones  of  the  Trunk. 

3.  The  bones  of  the  Limbs." 

6.  After  lettered  headings;  as,  "The  subject  will  be  given 
the  following  divisions: 

(a.) 
(b.) 
(c.)" 

Exercise. 
Punctuate. 

1.  She  is  a  member  of  the  W  C  T  U 

2.  He  has  received  the  degree  of  DD  MD  and  LL  D 

3.  He  took  the  train  at  2  P  M 

4.  He  read  chapter  I  II  III  in  an  hour 

5.  the  chairman  of  the  Ex  Com  of  the  Nat  Temp  Soc  rose 
to  speak 

6.  The  following  subdivisions  of  the  topic  were  discussed 
a  b  c 

7.  Dr  Robt  B  Smith  Jr 

8.  Henry  V  of  England 

9.  On  the  5th  of  Jan  1856  the  vessel  while  off  the  N  W 
coast  of  N  A  was  lost 

10.  Robt  Jones  Sen  was  the  son  of  Col  Henry  Jones  of  Wil- 
mington Del 

11.  thomas  williams  esq  was  bom  in  sacremento  calif 

12.  his  lecture  was  arranged  under  the  following  heads   (a) 
(b)   (c) 

13.  the  airship  descended  off  the  N  W  coast  of  N  A 


110  HANDBOOK  OP 

14.  he  has  been  appointed  to  a  clerkship  in  the  P  O  depart- 
ment of  san  jose 

15.  chas  V  of  Spain  is  well  known  in  history 

Letter  Asking  Favor. 

1.  State  that  you  have  just  completed  a  model  of  a  type- 
writer attachment  which  is  superior  to  anything  on  the 
market. 

2.  That  you  are  financially  imable  to  begin  the  manufacture 
of  the  same,  and  desire  capital. 

3.  Ask  if  he  would  loan  $6,000  at  6  per  cent. 

4.  State  that  you  will  give  as  security  a  farm  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State. 


LESSON  XLII. 

Use  of  Words. 

Female  pertains  to  the  sex  opposed  to  male.  Effeminate  re- 
fers to  traits  of  woman  found  in  men.  Feminine  pertains  to 
womanly  traits.  Beautiful  is  applied  to  persons  and  other  ob- 
jects of  either  sight  or  sound.  Handsome  implies  the  idea  of 
strength  and  size  in  addition  to  attractiveness.  Pretty  is  ap- 
plied to  objects  of  small  size.  Beneficent  denotes  largeness  of 
bounty.  It  is  restricted  to  Divine  giving.  Generous  denotes  a 
mental  disposition  to  give  whether  one  possesses  the  means  or 
not.  It  applies  to  other  possessions  than  money.  Benevolent 
refers  to  people  rather  than  acts.  A  benevolent  person  will 
avoid  doing  injury,  and  aim  to  benefit  where  possible.  Liberal 
denotes  a  character  which  gives  largely  when  it  does  give.  Prod- 
igal indicates  a  love  of  large  and  excessive  expenditures.  A  per- 
son may  be  extravagant,  but  not  prodigal  for  lack  of  means. 
Extravagant  denotes  a  wandering  beyond.  One  may  be  extrav- 
agant in  the  expenditure  of  money,  in  speech,  in  compliments. 


commercial  english  111 

Quotation  Marks. 

Quotation  marks  should  be  used: — 
/.     To  enclose  the  exact  words  of  another;  as,  Mary  said, 
"Here  is  the  book."    If,  however,  the  quotation  is  indirect, 
none  are  used ;  as,  Mary  said  she  would  bring  the  book. 

2.  With  a  small  letter  if  the  quotation  is  preceded  by  if,  that 
unless,  etc.,  as,  "If,"  he  said,  "industry  is  the  road  to 
success,  then  I  am  in  sight  of  the  goal." 

3.  Around  a  single  word  or  group  of  words,  not  complete; 
but  the  first  word  does  not  begin  with  a  capital ;  as.  His 
last  words  were  "many  mansions." 

4.  Before  each  of  several  successive  formal  paragraphs  and 
after  the  last  only ;  as,  The  Constitution  states  the  follow- 
ing duties  of  the  treasurer: 

"1.     To  collect  all  duties. 

"2.     To  pay  such  bills  as  are  approved  by  the  Secretary. 
"3.     To  collect  such  fines  as  are  imposed  for  non-at- 
tendance." 

5.  At  the  beginning  of  every  stanza  of  poetry  and  at  the  end 
of  the  last  stanza  unless  the  author's  name  is  appended. 

6.  Around  each  part  of  a  broken  quotation :  as,  "John,"  said 
the  teacher,  "bring  the  book  from  the  table." 

7.  Around  titles  of  books,  newspapers,  periodicals,  etc.,  un- 
less written  in  italics  or  capitals;  as.  She  subscribed  for 
"The  Ladies  Home  Journal." 

8.  Singly  around  a  quotation  within  a  quotation ;  as,  I  heard 
her  say,  "Yes,  his  exact  words  were,  *I  paid  $2167.20  for 
the  land.' " 

Q.  If  Still  another  quotation  is  enclosed;  as,  I  found  the 
words  on  the  fly  leaf  of  his  book,  "Some  one  has  said, 
'What  a  world  of  wisdom  is  contained  in  the  words,  "The 
grave  is  not  the  goal."  '  " 


112  HANDBOOK   OF 

10.  Outside  of  all  punctuation  marks  except  in  case  of  inter- 
rogation and  exclamation  points,  which  are  governed  by 
special  rules ;  as,  "Come,"  he  said. 

11.  As  commercial  signs  for  inches  and  singly  for  feet.  The 
same  is  true  of  seconds  and  minutes  of  longitude;  as 

4'  5'^  — 4ft.  5  inches. 
6'  30''— -6  Min.  30  Sec. 

12.  Singly  around  a  quotation  not  quoted  word  for  word,  Ex. : 
'All  may  not  be  gold  that  glitters.' 


LESSON  XLIII. 
Use  OF  Words. 

Hard,  a  task  is  hard  when  it  involves  physical  labor.  Diifi- 
cult,  a  difficult  undertaking  requires  great  mental  effort  for  its 
execution.  Righteous,  the  righteous  man  is  one  who  believes 
in  a  practical  application  of  a  religious  creed  and  tries  to  live 
up  to  his  belief.  Godly,  a  godly  man  is  one  who  communes 
with  God,  in  prayer,  meditation  and  the  study  of  God's  word. 
Garrulous  denotes  being  unduly  talkative  about  others'  affairs 
rather  than  our  own.  Loquacious  denotes  the  habit  of  talking 
continuously.  Talkative,  implies  a  desire  to  engage  in  conver- 
sation with  others  as  well  as  to  others. 

For  Punctuation  —  Quotation  Marks. 

1.  We  notice  that  you  say  bronze  caskets  with  steel  handles 
but  we  think  you  mean  steel  caskets  with  bronze  handles. 

2.  You  know  the  old  saying  All  is  not  gold  that  glitters  do 
you  not? 

3.  He  said  Economy  is  the  road  to  wealth. 

4.  What  does  he  know  about  economy  I  should  like  to  know. 


_  COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  113 

5.  In  the  first  place  said  my  father  I  hope  you  will  remem- 
ber the  old  saying  A  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss  and 
not  make  the  mistake  of  needlessly  going  from  place  to 
place. 

6.  We  think  the  whole  affair  is  a  fake. 

7.  Cambridge  has  given  us  three  noted  writers  Holmes  who 
is  known  as  the  Autocrat  Lowell  whose  quaint  Yankee 
humor  sparkles  in  the  Biglow  Papers  and  the  gentle 
author  of  Evangeline  our  loved  and  lamented  Long- 
fellow. 

8.  The  Bible  opens  with  the  words  In  the  beginning  God 
created  the  heavens  and  the  earth. 

9.  The  line  The  path  of  glory  leads  but  to  the  grave  is  found 
in  Grays  Elegy. 

10.  Since  the  path  of  glory  like  all  others  leads  only  to  the 
grave  we  should  not  cherish  it  too  highly. 

11.  Friends  said  he  I  come  not  here  to  talk. 

12.  His  words  rang  out  loud  and  clear  wet  the  ropes. 

13.  Miss  Gary  said 

Do  not  look  for  wrong  or  evil 
You  will  find  it  if  you  do 
As  you  measure  for  your  neighbor 
He  will  measure  back  to  you 

Look   for   goodness   look  for   gladness 
You  will  find  them  all  the  while 
If  you  bring  a  smiling  visage 
To  the  glass  you  meet  a  smile 

14.  There  is  no  better  guide  for  human  conduct  than  the 
Golden  Rule  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 
you  do  ye  even  so  to  them. 


114  HANDBOOK  OF 

15.  A  teacher  asked  what  is  the  holiday  tomorrow  Decoration 
Day  was  the  reply  in  a  shout  For  what  do  we  have  deco- 
ration day  To  decorate  soldiers  graves  said  several  Why 
should  they  decorate  One  little  fellow  said  If  you  please 
sir  I  think  it  is  because  they  are  dead. 

16.  Did  you  hear  that  noise  said  he. 

17.  I  did  not  know  she  said  why  he  asked  me  to  do  this  task 

18.  If  honesty  is  the  best  policy  then  he  is  following  the  right 
course 

19.  That  a  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss  was  his  favorite 
maxim. 

20.  Sunset  is  his  favorite  magazine 

21.  Come  said  Mary  let  me  read  his  message  come  at  once 

22.  All  things  come  to  him  who  waits  is  frequently  quoted 

23.  These  were  Longfellow's  words  life  is  real  life  is  earnest 

24.  There  are  loyal  hearts  there  are  spirits  brave 
there  are  souls  that  are  pure  and  true 

then  give  to  the  world  the  best  you  have 
and  the  best  will  come  back  to  you 

give  love  and  love  to  your  life  will  flow 
a  strength  in  your  utmost  need 
have  faith  and  a  score  of  hearts  will  show 
their  faith  in  your  word  and  deed. 


LESSON  XLIV. 

Proceeding  is  a  complex  action  whose  steps  may  be  dis- 
tinguished separately.  Procedure  is  the  act  of  proceeding. 
Proposal  is  something  put  forth  or  laid  down  for  acceptance  or 
rejection  by  another.  Proposition  is  a  statement,  or  affirmation 
or  a  denial.  It  implies  something  to  be  deliberated  upon;  a 
proposal,  something  to  be  done.    Relative,  a  relative  is  one  con- 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  115 

nected  with  another  by  blood  or  marriage.  Relation  is  used  in 
an  abstract  sense,  only;  as,  "what  are  his  relations  to  the  com- 
munity." Requirement  is  something  needed  by  a  person  or  per- 
sons. Requisite  is  something  needed  by  the  nature  of  the  case, 
to  give  completeness.  Sewage  is  the  contents  of  sewers.  Sew- 
erage has  reference  to  the  system  employed  in  carrying  sewage. 

The  Exclamation  Point  Should  Be  Placed  : 

1.     After  words  or  clauses  which  express  surprise,  or  sudden 

emotion;  as,  Oh! 
3.     After  words  of  emphatic  or  solemn  address ;  as.  Venerable 

men !  you  are  right. 

3.  After  each  of  several  successive  exclamations  when  the 
thought  is  complete,  and  the  word  following  the  exclama- 
tion mark  should  begin  with  a  small  letter.  Ex. :  "How 
crisp  the  morning  air!  how  invigorating!" 

4.  After  the  last  of  several  successive  exclamatory  ex- 
pressions, when  the  sense  is  complete  only  in  the  last  mem- 
ber of  the  sentence ;  as,  "How  crisp,  how  invigorating,  how 
inspiring,  the  morning  air !" 

5.  Within  parenthesis  to  indicate  contempt. 

Honor  (!)   Do  not  talk  of  his  honor  (!)  to  me. 

6.  After  a  clause  of  invocation.  "Father  in  Heaven !  hear  our 
prayer." 

7.  Within  a  quotation,  if  the  exclamation  refers  only  to 
words  quoted  otherwise  outside.  He  said,  "How  grand  is 
the  scene!"  How  inspiring  are  the  words,  "The  darkest 
hour  is  the  one  before  the  dawning !" 

8.  After  an  exclamatory  interrogative  sentence,  if  exclama- 
tory in  nature  and  no  answer  is  required :  as,  "Oh,  how  can 
I  bear  it!" 

9.  After  the  Interjection,  if  an  answer  is  expected ;  as,  "Oh ! 
Where  do  you  think  I  will  find  him?" 

No  mark  of  punctuation  follows  "O". 


•116  handbook  of 

Exercise. 

1.  Oh  where  can  rest  be  found 

2.  O  the  times  O  the  seasons  O  the  morals  of  the  day 

3.  O  John  are  these  rewards  not  worth  effort 

4.  God  bless  the  bonny  highlanders  she  cried 

5.  Oh  that  your  minds  were  interested  in  this  subject 

6.  Alas  noble  spirit  that  this  should  be  thy  lot 
7-  Welcome  noble  defenders  of  your  country 
S.  Oh  where  shall  rest  be  found 

9.     Here  comes  the  pride  of  the  regiment 

10.  What  endurance  was  exhibited  in  that  humble  home  what 
unselfishness  what  heroism  what  purity  what  faith 

11.  What  endurance  what  unselfishness  what  heroism  what 
purity  what  faith  was  exhibited  in  that  humble  home 

12.  What  neatness  what  precision  what  faithfulness  was  shown 
in  her  domestic  science  work. 

13.  What   neatness  was   shown  in   her   typewriting  practice 
what  precision  what  faithfulness 

14.  He  said  hearken  to  my  words 

15.  How  inspiring  are  the  words  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor 
forsake  thee 

16.  The  first  words  that  greeted  our  ears  were  welcome  friends 
welcome 

17.  Yes  the  college  graduate  spelled  advice  with  an  "s" 

18.  Stand  for  the  right  fight  if  need  be  but  never  give  up 

19.  What  satisfaction  comes  to  the  competent  assistant  what 
confidence  what  assurance 

20.  What  satisfaction  what  confidence  what  assurance  comes 
to  the  competent  assistant 

21.  Oh  friend  she  cried  do  secure  release 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  117 

LESSON  XLV. 

The  Interrogation  Point  Should  be  Used: 

1.  After  every  direct  question;  as,  Are  you  going  now? 

2.  When  the  declarative  form  is  used  in  asking  a  question 
and  the  rising  inflection  is  given  at  the  close;  as,  Your 
name  is  John? 

3.  After  a  direct  question  is  quoted,  and  "inside"  quotation 
marks ;  as,  The  question  "What  shall  I  do  with  my  place?" 
is  troubling  me. 

4.  After  each  of  several  direct  questions  when  the  sense  is 
closely  connected,  and  the  thought  is  complete  in  each ; 
using  a  small  letter  for  the  beginning  of  the  following 
words;  as,  "Shall  truth  triumph  in  this  cause?  shall 
righteousness?  shall  love?" 

5.  After  the  last  of  several  successive  questions  when  the 
thought  is  not  complete  until  the  close;  as,  "Shall  truth, 
shall  righteousness,  shall  love,  triumph  in  this  cause?" 

6.  In  a  parenthesis  to  express  doubt ;  as, 

"The  first-class  stenographer   ( ?)   spelled  referring  with 
one  "r". 

7.  Within  the  quotation,  if  the  point  refers  only  to  words 
quoted,  otherwise  outside;  as,  He  said,  "Do  you  mean  it?" 
Did  he  say,  "You  may  remain"  ? 

Exercise. 

1.  Why  do  you  sit  amid  the  sad  surroundings  of  this  gods 
acre  said  he 

2.  When  will  you  come  said  Walter  I  wish  it  would  be  today 

3.  His  remark  was  why  do  you  go  today 

4.  Was  his  remark  must  you  go  or  will  you  go. 

5.  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  excitement  of  all  this 
tumult  of  all  this  confusion 


118  HANDBOOK   OF 

6.  Whither  now  are  fled  those  happy  days  those  joyous  nights 
that  made  life  glad 

7.  Where  are  those  precious  hours  those  golden  moments  that 
I  wasted  in  early  life 

8.  Do  you  study  hard  do  you  wish  to  succeed  do  you  think 
you  are  doing  all  possible 

9.  When  I  become  president  of  the  united  states  shall  I  give 
you  a  position 

10.  Shall  treachery  triumph  in  this  decision  shall  robbery  shall 
assassination  shall  murder 

11.  Shall  treachery  shall  robbery  shall  assassination  shall  mur- 
der triumph  in  this  decision 

12.  When  did  the  accident  occur  how  where 

13.  When  did  we  see  you  persecuted  and  did  not  hasten  to  your 
assistance 

14.  you  are  ill  today 

15.  She  asked  do  you  mean  to  be  a  coward  and  give  up  the 
high-school  course  and  I  said  no 

16.  She  asked  me  if  I  meant  to  be  a  coward  and  give  up  the 
plan  of  the  college  course  and  I  quickly  answered  in  the 
negative 

17.  Do  you  keep  your  machine  clean  was  the  next  question 
asked  by  the  prospective  employer 

18.  Then  came  the  following  questions:  Is  it  your  purpose 
to  be  loyal  to  your  employer  to  study  to  make  your  interest 
his  to  become  in  every  sense  a  needed  office  assistant. 

19.  Shall  carelessness  shall  discourtesy  shall  indolence  shall 
disloyalty  to  your  employers  interests  continue  to  charac- 
terize your  work. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  119 

LESSON  XLVI. 
Words:  How  to  Use  Them. 

Receive,  to  take  one's  own,  as  a  letter.  Accept,  to  take  to 
one's  self.  We  receive  our  own,  we  accept  what  others 
offer  us.  Recline,  to  lean  back.  Repose,  to  recline  or  to 
place  one's  self  in  such  a  position  as  will  be  comfortable ;  a  face 
may  be  in  repose.  Relieve,  to  remove  or  take  away.  Alleviate 
to  lighten  or  lessen.  That  which  takes  away  pain,  relieves  it; 
that  which  affords  ease  from  pain  alleviates  it.  Share,  to  divide 
into  parts  and  give  those  parts  to  others  reserving  one  or  more 
for  ourselves.  Divide,  to  separate  into  parts.  Distribute,  to 
give  all  the  parts  to  others.  Shut  means  to  bring  the  parts  so 
close  together  that  nothing  can  pass  in  or  out.  Close  is  to  bring 
the  parts  together.  One  may  close  a  book  before  a  friend  or 
shut  a  door  in  the  face  of  an  agent.  Lawful  denotes  in  accord- 
dance  with  law,  whether  civil  or  moral.  Legal  denotes  con- 
formity to  civil  law.  Noted  refers  to  that  which  is  well  and 
favorably  known.  Notorious  expresses  public  knowledge  that 
is  usually  unfavorable. 

Colon. 

1.  A  colon  should  be  used  before  a  formal  enumeration  of 
particulars,  or  a  direct  quotation,  when  introduced  by 
"this,  these,  as  follows,"  etc.,  as  "The  order  reads  as  fol- 
lows:" 

2.  When  the  quotation  is  long  and  should  commence  another 
paragraph,  a  dash  may  be  used  after  the  colon. 

3.  A  colon  is  used  to  separate  two  members  of  a  sentence 
when  either  or  both  of  the  members  are  subdivided  by 
semicolons.  Ex. :  "Him  that  is  wise,  observe ;  him  that  is 
good,  copy :  so  shall  thy  life  be  both  wise  and  just." 


120   •  HANDBOOK   OF 

4.  A  colon  should  separate  two  members  of  a  compound  sen- 
tence, when  the  conjunction  is  omitted,  if  the  connection 
is  not  close  enough  for  a  comma  or  semicolon,  as,  "The 
battle  is  not  to  the  strong  alone :  it  is  to  the  vigilant,  the 
active,  the  brave." 

5.  A  colon  should  be  used  between  hour  and  minutes  when  ex- 
pressed in  figures,  9:10  A.  M. 

6.  If  the  main  title  of  a  book  is  followed  by  an  explanatory 
title,  if  the  word  "or"  is  omitted,  a  colon  should  precede 
the  latter ;  as,  "The  subject  of  my  book  will  be,  MAN- 
UAL OF  COMPOSITION  AND  PUNCTUATION  :  A 
TEXT  BOOK  FOR  BUSINESS  COLLEGES. 

7.  A  colon  should  follow  the  salutation  in  a  letter.  Dear  Sir: 

Letter  Soliciting  Partner. 

L     Write  to  Charles  H.  Wilson, 
45  Garfield  St., 

Oswego,  New  York. 

2.  Tell  him  that  you  have  been  conducting  a  retail  drug 
business. 

3.  That  your  business  is  so  extensive  that  you  need  a  partner. 

4.  That  your  acquaintance  with  his  fine  business  qualities  and 
his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  drug  business  makes  him 
seem  to  you  desirable. 

5.  Assure  him  of  your  favorable  location  for  a  wholesale 
business,  being  in  a  railroad  center  with  extensive  shipping 
facilities. 

6.  Ask  for  an  early  reply  to  your  proposition ;  use  the  follow- 
ing as  guide: 

Dear  Sir : 

For  several  years  I  have  been  conducting  a  retail  drug  busi- 
ness in  this  city.  The  increase  in  my  trade  makes  it  neces- 
sary for  me  to  secure  a  partner. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  121 

I  am  convinced  that  you  have  not  only  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  drug  business,  but  that  you  possess  the  qualities  that  go 
to  make  a  first-class  salesman.  It  is  my  conviction  that  you 
are  just  the  man  I  need  to  help  me  build  up  a  large  wholesale 
business. 

This  location  is  very  favorable  because  of  the  large  shipping 
facilities,  being  a  railroad  center,  and  I  see  a  very  promising 
future  for  us  in  the  drug  business. 

Trusting  that  you  will  consider  this  proposition  and  favor 
me  with  an  early  reply,  I  am 

Yours  sincerely, 

Exercise. 
Insert  the  Colon. 

1.  In  his  last  moments  he  uttered  the  following  words  Don't 
give  up  the  ship. 

2.  Trains  arrive  at  8  40  A.  M.  and  10  15  P.  M. 

3.  The  following  goods  were  ordered  101  lbs  of  Sugar  51 
lbs  of  lard  5 1  lbs  table  salt. 

4.  I  cannot  do  that  for  two  reasons  first  I  have  not  the  neces- 
sary capital  to  carry  on  the  business  second  I  am  not  well 
enough  acquainted  with  the  details. 

5.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  begins  when  in  the 
course  of  human  events. 

6.  The  subject  of  my  new  book  is  She  Stoops  to  Conquer  the 
Mistakes  of  a  Night. 

7.  He  said  Apply  yourself  to  study  it  will  redound  to  your 
honor. 

8.  The  battle  is  not  to  the  strong  alone  it  is  to  the  vigilant 
the  active  and  the  strong. 

9.  Thus  she  gave  vent  to  her  Joy  Joy  Joy  forever  my  task  is 
done. 


122  HANDBOOK   OP 

10.  Learn  this  important  lesson  yourself  do  not  let  others  learn 
it  before  you  and  instead  of  you. 

11.  Her  book  Correct  English  How  to  Use  It  was  well  pre- 
pared. 

12.  The  reasons  given  for  the  Stenographers  failure  were  as 
follows  he  would  continue  to  come  to  the  office  after  the 
appointed  hour  he  turned  out  untidy  transcripts  because  he 
would  not  clean  his  machine  his  work  was  frequently  in- 
terrupted by  messages  from  his  friends  over  the  telephone 
he  cared  more  for  a  ball  game  than  for  the  interests  of  his 
employer. 

13.  He  quoted  the  following  Talent  is  only  long  patience  and 
I  thought  if  his  words  are  true  then  why  not  stick  to  my 
task. 

14.  She  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  her  students  that  their 
work  must  possess  the  following  requisites  accuracy  neat- 
ness correct  punctuation  and  spelling. 

15.  An  attempt  to  learn  shorthand  without  study  is  useless  to 
learn  touch  typing  by  looking  at  the  hands  is  a  failure  if 
you  wish  to  make  a  success  of  both  application  to  study 
and  conscientious  typewriting  practice  are  absolute  es- 
sentials. 

16.  To  rule  one's  anger  is  well  to  prevent  it  is  better. 

17.  Do  not  be  discouraged  over  your  work  persistent  effort 
will  bring  results. 

18.  He  treated  the  subject  under  three  heads  first,  the  past 
second  the  present  and  third  the  future. 

Bring  into  class  one  example  of  each  of  the  above  rules. 

Supply  the  Proper  Words. 

1.  The  boldness  of  the  assertion  statement  invited 

doubt. 

2.  He  could  not  understand  the  allusion illusion. 

3.  This  man  is  the  victim  of  an  elusion delusion. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  123 

4.  Henr/s  essay assay  indicated  his  ability. 

5.  John  Smith  was  thrown  out  of  a  team carriage 

Sunday  night. 


LESSON  XLVII. 
Supply  the  Proper  Words. 

1.  A  flower  bed  occupied  the  middle  —  center  of  the  yard. 

2.  The  colonel  thought  the  compliment  —  complement  to  the 
regiment  would  give  the  men  a  new  incentive. 

3.  There  is  a  legitimate  place  in  business  life  for  confidence 
—  confidants. 

4.  The  conscience  —  consciousness  of  a  sincere  Christian  is 
sensitive. 

5.  His  remarks  were  a  complement  —  compliment  to  what  has 
been  said. 

6.  Each  one  of  them  expressed  his  —  their  opinion. 

7.  Neither  boy  treated  his  —  their  parents  with  respect. 

8.  Everybody  do  —  does  as  he  pleases  —  they  please. 

9.  The  defeat  of  W.  J.  Bryan  in  1896  was  owing  —  due  to  a 
widespread  belief  in  the  dishonor  that  would  follow  the 
adoption  of  "Free  Silver." 

Write  a  Letter  of  Information. 

1.  Make  inquiry  of  Dr.  D.  Anderson,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  re- 
garding Mr.  Walter  Bower,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  as  to 
character,  ability  and  experience. 

2.  Request  a  frank  statement  as  to  Mr.  Bower's  qualifications 
to  fill  the  said  position. 

3.  Assure  him  of  your  confidence. 

4.  Express  regret  for  any  inconvenience  your  request  may 
cause. 


124  handbook  of 

Rules  for  the  Semicolon. 

1.  A  semicolon  may  separate  members  of  a  compound  sen- 
tence too  closely  connected  for  a  colon,  and  not  close 
enough  to  require  a  comma.  "There  is  no  royal  road  to 
success;  industry  is  essential  if  its  attainment  is  desired." 

2.  A  semicolon  often  separates  the  members  of  compound 
sentences  punctuated  with  commas.  "The  times  of  rest, 
freedom  from  care,  came  at  last ;  he  said  it  came  too  late." 

3.  A  semicolon  usually  precedes  such  words  as  "namely", 
"as",  "to  wit",  "thus,"  etc.  "Three  essentials  to  success 
were  given;  namely,  purpose,  earnestness,  and  industry." 

4.  Semicolons  or  commas  may  be  used  to  separate  the  ex- 
pressions in  a  series  dependent  upon  an  introductory  or  a 
final  clause,  except  preceding  the  one  upon  which  the 
others  depend,  when  a  colon,  a  semicolon,  or  a  comma  and 
a  dash  may  be  used ;  as,  "If  you  succeed  as  a  stenographer ; 
if  you  make  yourself  needed  by  the  business  man ;  if  you 
become  a  member  of  the  firm:  then  every  effort  must  be 
put  forth  to  lay  a  good  foundation." 

5.  A  sentence  complete  in  itself  followed  by  a  clause  added 
as  explanation  or  reason,  may  be  followed  by  a  semicolon. 
"Apply  yourself  to  study;  for  it  will  redound  to  your 
honor." 

Insert  Semicolon. 

1.  Character  is  what  we  are  reputation  is  what  others  think 
we  are. 

2.  It  is  one  thing  to  be  well  informed  it  is  another  thing  to  be 
wise. 

3.  Example  is  better  than  precept  inspiration  is  better  than 
instruction. 

4.  The  apostles  were  not  chosen  on  account  of  their  superior 
abilities  education  or  rank  of  society  but  that  they  were 
chosen  wisely  their  subsequent  history  abundantly  attests. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  125 

5.  Four  things  are  desirable  for  a  good  place  of  residence 
good  soil  good  climate  pure  air  and  pure  water. 

6.  We  have  three  great  bulwarks  viz  schools  colleges  and 
universities. 

7.  There  are   three  roads  commonly  leading  to  want  and 
wretchedness  namely  idleness  intemperance  and  crime. 

8.  Suffering  is  the  common  lot  of  humanity  therefore  be  pre- 
pared to  meet  it  bravely. 

9.  Industry  is  essential  to  success  there  is  no  royal  road. 

10.  The  rain  which  was  falling  came  down  in  torrents  women 
shrieked  and  ran  and  men  grew  pale  and  fearful  terror 
seized  them  all. 

11  The  perfect  purity  of  the  air  one  breathes  the  alluring 
landscape  that  meets  the  eye  the  sense  of  security  as  the 
waves  lash  the  shore  all  these  made  it  an  ideal  spot  for 
tired  nerves. 

12.  There  is  no  promise  of  success  to  the  sluggard  work  hard 
work  and  self  sacrifice  must  be  paid. 

13.  John  quoted  the  following  life  is  real  life  is  earnest. 

14.  The  time  for  lessons  school  day  pleasures  freedom  from 
business  cares  went  quickly  alas  they  passed  too  quickly. 

15.  There  are  five  essentials  he  said  for  a  successful  business 
man  industry  punctuality  honesty  faithfulness  and  reli- 
ability. 

16.  Time  properly  spent  will  mean  success  success  properly 
directed  means  a  well-spent  life. 

LESSON  XLVIII. 

Insert  Proper  Word. 

1.  Emigration  —  Immigration  has  reduced  the  population  of 
Ireland. 

2.  The  influence  of  a  pure  home  —  house  is  a  trusty  anchor  in 
the  storm  of  temptation. 


126  HANDBOOK   OF 

3.  The  invention  —  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  in  1849, 
was  of  international  significance. 

4.  A  choice  lot  —  number  of  silks  will  be  sold. 

5.  The    doctor's    patients  —  patience    with    his    patience  — 
patients  was  remarkable. 

6.  China  is  a  populous  —  populace  country. 

7.  The  production  —  produce  —  products  were  unknown  to 
the  old  world  before  the  discovery  of  America. 

Comma. 
Rule  I. 

Words  or  phrases  in  a  series  are  separated  by  commas.  Usu- 
ally a  comma  is  used  before  the  conjunction  placed  before  the 
last  noun,  unless  the  latter  is  closer  in  thought  to  the  remainder 
of  the  sentence.  Ex. :  Apples,  peaches,  grapes,  and  apricots 
are  raised  in  Santa  Clara  Valley. 

Exercise. 

1.  Rebuffed  scorned  ridiculed  hissed  down  in  the  House  of 
Commons  Disraeli  did  not  give  up. 

2.  In  Dante's  time  nearly  every  literary  man  in  Italy  was  a 
hardworking  merchant  physician  statesman  judge  or  soldier. 

3.  It  is  left  for  each  by  the  cultivation  of  every  talent  by 
watching  with  an  eagle's  eye  for  every  chance  of  im- 
provement by  redeeming  time  defying  temptation  and 
scorning  sensual  pleasures  to  make  himself  useful  honored 
and  happy. 

4.  The  perusal  of  a  book  the  execution  of  a  model  or  the 
superintendency  of  a  water-wheel  of  his  own  construction 
absorbed  Isaac  Newton's  boyhood  days. 

5.  From  every  bush  from  every  fence  from  cannon  and  mus- 
kets a  pitiless  storm  poured  upon  the  retreating  British. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  127 

6.  God  is  seen  in  the  growth  of  the  grass  in  the  movement  of 
the  stars  in  the  warbling  of  the  lark  in  the  thunder  of 
heaven. 

7.  Give  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you  good  measure  pressed 
down  shaken  together  and  running  over. 

8.  Read  not  to  contradict  and  confute  not  to  believe  and 
take  for  granted  not  to  find  talk  and  discourse  but  to 
weigh  and  consider. 

9.  Many  so-called  good-for-nothing  boys  blockheads  num- 
skulls dullards  or  dunces  were  only  boys  out  of  their 
places  round  boys  forced  into  square  holes. 

10.  Hotel  de  Paris  Marseilles  France  April  17,  1902. 

11.  Stones  grow  vegetables  grow  and  live  animals  grow  live 
and  feel. 

12.  In  business  there  is  something  more  than  barter  exchange 
price  payment  there  is  a  sacred  faith  of  man  in  man. 

13.  The  chief  exports  are  tobacco  gold  silver  hides  and  coal. 

14.  They  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  light  articles 
such  as  textile  goods  jewelry  fancy  bric-a-brac  etc. 

15.  The  rains  descended  the  floods  came  and  the  winds  blew 
and  beat  upon  the  house  and  it  fell  and  great  was  the 
fall  thereof. 

16.  Wine  is  a  mocker  strong  drink  is  raging  and  whosoever  is 
deceived  thereby  is  not  wise. 

17.  The  successful  carpenter  ship-builder  stone-mason  and 
machinist  will  tell  you  the  road  they  traveled  was  not  an 
easy  one. 

18.  Rising  early  in  the  morning  eating  meals  regularly  taking 
proper  exercise  working  industriously  maintaining  a  clear 
conscience  all  these  help  to  make  a  man  happy  and 
healthy. 

19.  Why  are  the  Harvard  football  players  not  allowed  to 
drink  smoke  and  sit  up  late  at  night? 


128  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  XLIX. 

Rule  2.  If  the  last  word  of  a  series  is  an  adjective,  no 
comma  is  needed.  Ex. :  He  is  a  faithful,  energetic,  progressive 
man. 

Rule  3.  When  the  first  of  two  adjectives  modifies  the  idea 
expressed  by  the  second  adjective  and  noun,  it  is  not  set  off  by 
a  comma.  Ex. :  He  strained  his  eyes  towards  the  "two"  "slight" 
figures. 

Rule  4.  When  the  first  of  two  (or  more)  adjectives  modi- 
fies the  noun  alone,  it  is  set  off  by  a  comma.  Ex. :  The  "salt," 
"moist"  air  was  borne  to  him  through  the  open  window. 

EXERCISE. 

1.  A  moment  later  he  heard  her  flit  down  the  corridor  and 
heard  John  open  the  heavy  outer  door. 

2.  It  lay  before  him  like  a  great  glassy  lake,  etc. 

3.  This  gentle  shrinking  Southern  child  whom  he  had  loved 
and  smothered  with  roses  this  tender  clinging  girl  who 
trusted  him  so  implicitly  was  no  longer  his  sweetheart  but 
his  helpmate. 

4.  At  the  sun's  first  gleam  Henry  Stanford  had  awaked  with 
a  joyous  heart. 

5.  Its  glassy  surface  rippled  now  and  then  by  the  dipping 
buckets  etc.  or  by  the  quick  water-spider  strokes  of  some 
lobster-fishermen. 

6.  At  Stanford's  request  three  short  bells  sounded  in  the 
engine-room  below  and  the  yacht  quivered  along  her 
entire  length  as  she  doubled  her  speed. 

7.  Soon  the  broad  white  sails  were  flying  in  the  breeze. 

8.  The  industrious  energetic  faithful  bright  eyed  boy  is  the 
one  I  wish. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  129 

9.     The  raw  east  wind  so  chilled  us  that  we  searched  for  a 
farm  along  the  rough  dreary  road. 

10.  The  long  difficult  lesson  was  learned  at  last. 

11.  Thus  he  wrote  He  was  a  great  good  noble  man. 

12.  An  earnest  persistent  undaunted  student  is  bound  to  suc- 
ceed. 

13.  The  poor  old  man  was  run  over  by  a  train. 

14.  Of  late  her  pale  blue  eyes  seemed  sadder  than  usual. 

15.  The  large  square  envelope  was  addressed  in  a  clear  round 
hand. 

16.  The  quaint  reticent  girl  grew  suddenly  daring. 

17.  The  boy  gave  a  quick  short  pull  to  the  rope. 

18.  The  low  sweet  voice  was  wafted  over  the  wave. 

19.  James  Brown  the  handsome  young  son  of  the  Judge  is 
taking  a  medical  course. 

20.  She  had  beautiful  long  hair. 

21.  He  was  found  a  tall  broad  shouldered  young  student. 

22.  She  contracted  a  heavy  cold  standing  on  the  uncomfort- 
able damp  ground. 

23.  The  child  was  a  loyal  little  play  fellow. 

24.  The  peaceful  sea  lay  before  him  suggestive  of  the  better 
higher  life  to  be  possessed  by  each  of  us. 

25.  The  beautiful  fragrant  flowers  made  the  place  seem  en- 
chanted. 

26.  She  wore  a  dark  blue  dress. 

27.  The  butterflies   appeared  to  be   stemless  floating  velvet 
blossoms. 

28.  The  empty  comfortable  hammock  was  very  inviting  in 
the  dense  cool  shade. 

Comma. 

RULE  5.  Parenthetical  words,  phrases,  and  clauses  should 
be  separated  by  commas ;  as,  "I  shall,  in  all  prob- 
ability, see  you  Monday." 


130  handbook  of 

Punctuate. 

1.  Punctuation  like  other  matters  should  be  governed  by 
common  sense. 

2.  Luther  in  his  despondency  used  to  seize  his  flute  and  re- 
vive his  spirits  with  its  strains  saying  the  devil  hates  good 
music. 

3.  Every  one  must  of  course  think  his  own  opinions  right 
but  there  is  a  wide  difference  between  regarding  ourselves 
as  infallible  and  being  firmly  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
our  creed. 

4.  From  this  of  course  it  follows  that  in  an  ideally-massed 
sentence  the  most  significant  words  come  close  to  the 
periods. 

5.  No  one  however  is  likely  to  write  even  a  page  on  any 
subject  without  pausing  to  rearrange  the  sentences. 

6.  Better  than  all  other  means  of  increasing  the  vocabulary 
however  is  writing. 

7.  Take  for  instance  this  sentence. 

8.  Absurdly  enough  human  vanity  comes  in  here. 

9.  This  experience  it  is  true  may  be  actually  in  the  imagina- 
tion only. 

10.  There  is  too  that  sense  of  restfulness  that  belongs  to  the 
twilight  coolness. 

11.  Public  opinion  like  the  tide  rises  and  falls  at  regular 
intervals. 

12.  For  words  after  all  are  tools  of  literary  men. 

13.  There  is  then  but  one  course  to  pursue. 

14.  What  said  he  is  the  right  thing  to  do. 

15.  In  fact  we  should  rely  a  little  more  upon  ourselves  each 
day. 

16.  Yes  of  course  it  takes  time  to  bring  your  life  up  square. 

1 7.  The  aim  if  reached  or  not  makes  great  the  life. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  131 

18.  "Oh  could  you  find  Tomorrow  please"  said  little  Dimple- 

chin. 
The  loveliest  things  are  happening  tomorrow. 
Don't  you  know? 
I  never  quite  catch  up  with  it 
However  fast  I  go. 

19.  Go  forth  I  say  attain  attain. 

20.  "Half  the  joy  of  life,"  said  Dr.  Jordon  is  in  little  things 
taken  on  the  run. 

21.  Now  if  you  will  but  listen  I  shall  gladly  tell  you  of  my 
work, 

22.  All  this  it  is  true  may  be  the  case  but  I  doubt  it. 

23.  Perhaps  I  shall  go. 

24.  I  shall  perhaps  go. 

25.  Undoubtedly  he  will  succeed. 

26.  He  will  undoubtedly  succeed. 

27.  Broadly  speaking  the  office  of  punctuation  is  to  empha- 
size. 

28.  Napoleon  The  Little  Corporal  was  brought  to  France  on 
the  Bellerophon. 

29.  So  too  the  ancient  worship  of  a  storm-god  arose  from  un- 
conscious personification. 

30.  The  dream  of  Joseph  for  instance  seemed  to  him  more 
than  a  dream  it  was  a  message  from  God. 

31.  In  short  the  main  purpose  of  this  exercise  is  to  teach  you 
one  use  of  the  comma. 


LESSON  L. 

Comma. 

Rule  6.     Words  in  apposition  should  be  separated  by  com- 
mas ;  as,  Harry,  my  elder  brother,  is  attending  college. 
Rule  7.     Words  used  in  direct  address  should  be  separated 


132  HANDBOOK   OF 

by  commas;  as,  "Jo^^>  close  the  door." 

Rule  8.     Words  repeated  for  emphasis  should  be  set  off  by 
commas;  as,  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you." 

Punctuate. 

1.  Martin  Luther  the  great  German  reformer  made  his  fam- 
ous defense  before  Charles  V  at  the  diet  of  worms  in  1521. 

2.  Our  representative  Mr.  Cutting  who  is  a  new  man  in  your 
territory  expects  to  call  on  you  next  week. 

3.  You  must  not  forget  young  man  that  talent  is  only  long 
patience. 

4.  Take  her  O  Bridegroom  old  and  gray. 

5.  Flag  of  the  brave  thy  folds  shall  fly  the  sign  of  triumph. 

6.  Father  I  have  sinned  against  Heaven. 

7.  Safety  safety  I  beg  of  you. 

8.  Surely  surely  this  is  a  solemn  moment. 

9.  Why  why  should  he  do  it. 

10.  Never  no  never  shall  I  yield  to  discouragement. 

11.  There  there  child  dry  your  tears  mama's  coming. 

12.  James  the  postman  left  a  letter. 

13.  Mr.  Simmons  the  bookkeeper  is  an  expert  in  his  line. 

14.  The  truth  the  truth  sir  I  want  nothing  but  the  truth. 

15.  Mary  did  you  prepare  the  lesson. 

16.  Miss  Ruth  Boyce  the  librarian  is  an  able  scholar. 

17.  Rev.  Mr.  Brown  the  minister  of  that  church  is  taking  a 
vacation  from  his  arduous  duties. 

18.  Can  it  be  can  it  be  that  I  have  been  deceived. 

19.  Yes  sir  I  am  coming  at  once. 

20.  No  sir  she  would  never  make  such  a  blunder  were  she  a 
competent  assistant. 

21.  The  goods  you  ordered,  groceries  and  fruit  will  be  for- 
warded in  a  day  or  two. 

22.  My  favorite  fruits  grapes  pears  and  peaches  are  on  the 
table. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  133 

23.  We  boarded  the  Illinois  the  new  man-of-war. 

24.  Gold  our  medium  of  exchange  is  changing  hands  rapidly. 

Words. 
How  TO  USE  Them. 

Pliant,  that  which  is  capable  of  bending.  Pliable,  that  which 
may  be  readily  bent,  a  whipstock  is  pliant,  but  a  whiplash  is 
pliable.  Ravenous,  Voracious,  both  these  words  apply  to  the 
matter  of  appetite.  A  voracious  animal  is  one  that  eats  large 
quantities  of  food ;  a  ravenous  animal  is  one  that  eats  with  great 
haste,  usually  because  hunger  has  been  increased  by  priva- 
tion. Scarce,  things  are  scarce  when  they  can  be  had  only  in 
less  quantity  than  usual.  Rare,  things  are  rare  when  only  a 
few  of  the  kind  exist.  Sensible  expresses  a  habit  or  state  of  mind 
relating  to  a  particular  subject.  One  may  be  sensible  of  cold, 
heat  or  kindness.  Sensitive,  expresses  a  condition  in  which  the 
sense  of  feeling  is  quickly  acted  upon,  as  one  is  sensitive  to 
changes  of  temperature.  Allow,  to  allow  is  to  give  some  de- 
gree of  sanction.  Permit,  to  permit  is  simply  not  to  prevent. 
Banish  is  to  eject  by  ban  or  public  proclamation.  Expel,  to 
expel  is  to  drive  out.  Transport  is  to  carry  beyond  the  sea  to  a 
penal  colony.  Expatriate,  to  expatriate  denotes  the  alienation 
from  one's  native  land.  One  may  expatriate  himself,  but  he  is 
banished,  expelled,  or  transported  by  some  authority  in  power. 
Begin  usually  refers  to  time  or  order.  Commence  implies  ac- 
tion. "A  wicked  life  begins  with  little  sins."  Formal  or  pub- 
lic transactions  are  said  to  commence. 


LESSON  LI. 

Rule  9.  Members  of  compound  sentences,  when  the  con- 
nection is  too  short  for  semicolons,  should  be  separated  by 
commas ;  as,  Jane  is  coming,  I  am  going. 


134  HANDBOOK    OF 

Rule  10.  When  the  verb  is  omitted  the  comma  is  used;  as, 
William  seeks  to  oblige;  Jessie,  to  displease. 

Rule  1 1 .  The  comma  may  be  used  to  separate  a  direct  quo- 
tation from  the  rest  of  the  sentence :  I  hear  him  say,  "Wait." 

Punctuate. 

1.  Jessie  cleaned  her  typewriter  Lucy  studied  her  shorthand 
lesson. 

2.  John  is  waiting  for  his  book  Tom  is  reciting  his  lesson. 

3.  Stenography  is  an  intensely  interesting  subject  typewriting 
though  trying  to  the  nerves  is  fascinating  work. 

4.  The  climate  is  all  we  could  wish  the  fruit  is  delicious  and 
abundant. 

5.  The  poor  man  is  rich  with  contentment  the  rich  man  poor 
without  it. 

6.  Curiosity  allures  the  wise  vanity  the  foolish  pleasure  both. 

7.  One  was  tall  the  other  short. 

8.  Fishes  play  in  calm  streams  birds  in  sunshine. 

9.  To  err  is  human  to  forgive  divine. 

10.  Death  but  entombs  the  body  life  the  soul. 

11.  Plato  called  beauty  a  privilege  of  nature  Theocritus  a  de- 
lightful prejudice. 

12.  London  is  the  large  city  in  England  New  York  in  the 
United  States  Paris  in  France. 

13.  Virtue  brings  its  own  reward  vice  its  own  punishment.     ' 

14.  Reading  makes  a  full  man  conversation  a  ready  man  and 
writing  an  exact  man. 

15.  The  shrub  is  taller  than  the  flower  which  grows  in  its 
shade  the  tree  than  the  shrub  the  rock  than  the  tree  the 
mountain  than  the  single  rock  and  above  all  are  the  sun 
and  the  heavens. 

16.  This  is  an  old  proverb  A  fool  and  his  money  are  soon 
parted. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  135 

17.  It  is  said  that  John  Bunyan  seeing  a  drunkard  stag- 
gering along  the  street  said  there  but  for  the  grace  of  God 
goes  John  Bunyan. 

18.  Patrick  Henry  commenced  by  saying  it  is  natural  to  men 
to  indulge  in  the  illusions  of  hope. 

19.  We  heard  the  words  The  bell  has  rung  which  reminded  us 
of  waiting  tasks. 

20.  The  black  mud  walls  are  somber  and  soiled  and  even  the 
best  of  them  is  scarcely  more  than  a  hovel. 

21.  Many  of  the  estates  were  purchased  for  a  mere  pittance 
twenty  years  ago  and  the  rise  in  value  has  made  the  own- 
ers wealthy  men. 

22.  The  climate  is  delightful  the  people  sociable  but  there  are 
few  business  opportunities. 

23.  I  heard  him  say  Little  foxes  steal  the  vines  and  pondered 
over  its  meaning. 


LESSON  LIL 

Comma. 

12.  The  comma  should  be  used  to  prevent  ambiguity.  Ex.: 
That  that  is,  is. 

13.  The  comma  should  be  used  to  separate  figures  in  large 
numbers;  as,  3,127,896. 

14.  The  comma  should  be  used  to  separate  transposed  phrases 
and  clauses.    Ex. :  Hoping  to  receive  an  early  reply,  I  am, 

15.  After  the  logical  subject,  when  of  considerable  length,  and 
when  it  is  itself  separated  by  commas,  it  is  usually  best 
to  insert  a  comma  before  the  verb.  Ex. :  That  such  a  con- 
dition should  exist  here  in  the  Golden  State,  is  almost 
inconceivable. 


136  handbook  of 

Exercise. 

1.  The  amount  paid  out  was  $23738652. 

2.  The  figure  read  was  7629824327  and  it  should  have  been 
782925326. 

3.  Should  the  Union  fall  the  crash  would  be  heard  in  all 
lands. 

4.  The  love  of  money  influencing  us  in  our  daily  actions 
towards  our  fellowmen  to  the  exclusion  of  the  motives  of 
a  common  interest  and  humanity  is  certain  to  work  to  our 
injury. 

5.  The  time  of  difficulty  of  trial  of  temptation  came  upon 
them  unexpectedly. 

6.  That  an  immense  ship  could  be  impelled  across  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  between  Liverpool  and  New  York  in  the 
short  period  of  six  days  would  hardly  have  been  believed 
by  our  ancestors. 

7.  That  our  age  excels  in  mercy  and  compassion  many  ages 
of  the  past  is  evident  to  all. 

8.  The  impossibility  of  conducting  the  business  on  such  a 
basis  as  to  afford  an  adequate  margin  of  profit  to  the  stock- 
holders caused  a  suspension  of  the  firm. 

9.  Hoping  that  the  time  mentioned  will  be  satisfactory  I  am 
very  truly. 

10.  If  you  are  in  need  of  more  winter  goods  let  us  know. 

11.  As  long  as  one  is  healthy  want  or  fear  of  want  will  have 
no  depressing  effect. 

12.  To  err  is  human  to  forgive  divine. 

13.  Where  the  bee  sucks  honey  the  spider  sucks  poison. 

14.  When  I  said  I  would  die  a  bachelor  I  did  not  think  I 
would  live  until  I  were  married. 

15.  As  it  is  our  duty  to  correct  the  charges  made  we  have 
decided  to  carry  the  deal  through  for  you  to  your  entire 
satisfaction. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  137 

16.  I  said  I  could  not  see  the  use  of  such  a  body  a^  our 
Society  could  do  all  the  work. 

17.  The  stream  fell  over  the  falls  paused  fell  paused  again 
then  darted  down  the  valley. 

18.  If  you  want  knowledge  you  must  toil  for  it  if  good  you 
must  toil  for  it  and  if  pleasure  you  must  toil  for  it. 

19.  When  a  man's  busy  leisure 

Strikes  him  as  a  wonderful  pleasure 
Faith  and  at  leisure  once  is  he 
Straightway  he  wants  to  be  busy. 

20.  If  we  knew  ourselves  we  would  not  judge  each  other 
harshly. 

21.  If  thou  would'st  work  for  God  it  must  be  now. 

22.  If  honor  be  your  clothing  the  suit  will  last  a  lifetime  but 
if  clothing  be  your  honor  it  will  soon  be  worn  thread-bare. 

23.  As  we  must  account  for  every  idle  word  so  we  must  for 
every  idle  silence 

24.  Though  the  difficulties  throng 
And  the  struggle  may  be  long 

And  the  power  of  evil  strong 
Hope  on. 


LESSON  LIII. 

Comma. 

Rule  16.  When  words  are  used  in  pairs,  commas  are  used 
to  separate  them ;  as,  Sink  or  swim,  live  or  di^,  survive  or  per- 
ish. 

Rule  17.  Contrast  expressed  in  two  clauses  of  the  same 
sentence,  should  be  separated  by  commas.  Ex. :  You  may  walk, 
I  shall  ride. 

Rule  18.  A  word,  phrase,  or  clause  placed  between  the  sub- 
ject and  the  verb  are  set  off  by  commas ;  as,  Robert,  with  that 


138  HANDBOOK    OF 

keen  observation,  which  lay  hidden  somewhere  under  his  boyish 
ways,  noticed  many  points  of  change  about  his  old  friend. 

Rule  19.  When  two  phrases  precede  the  subject  and  the 
verb,  each  phrase  is  set  off  by  a  comma.  Ex. :  Little  more  than 
a  week  after,  on  the  seventh  day  of  April,  the  matter  was  taken 
up  again. 

Punctuate. 

1.  Jessie  prepared  her  debate  for  the  contest  Lucy  made  a 
new  dress  to  wear  to  the  picnic. 

2.  John  is  waiting  for  his  father's  return  Thomas  is  cultivat- 
ing the  field  in  which  he  hopes  to  raise  a  good  crop  of 
corn. 

3.  Cold  and  wet  ragged  and  hungry  uncouth  and  forbidding 
despairing  and  forsaken  he  appeared  at  my  door. 

4.  He  was  respectful  not  servile  to  superiors  affable  not  im- 
properly familiar  to  equals  and  condescending  not  super- 
cilious to  those  beneath  him. 

5.  Washington  Irving  who  was  the  author  of  the  Legend  of 
Sleepy  Hollow  lived  at  Sunnyside  on  the  Hudson. 

6.  The  mill  to  which  we  shipped  the  material  and  with 
which  we  have  never  had  any  trouble  in  our  dealings 
handles  large  quantities. 

7.  A  celebrated  woman  to  whom  one  proposed  to  teach  the 
art  of  memory  replied  I  would  rather  learn  the  art  of 
forgetting. 

8.  Are  there  not  seasons  of  spring  in  the  moral  world  and 
is  not  the  present  age  one  of  them. 

9.  Little  more  than  a  month  later  on  the  20th  day  of  June 
the  great  building  was  completed. 

10.  At    that    time    several    months    following    the    accident 
Charles  was  in  poor  health. 

11.  He  is  a  bright  pupil  she  is  a  dull  one. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  139 

12.  They  were  wrong  we  were  right. 

13.  Rich  or  poor  old  or  young  high  or  low  all  must  meet  the 
requirement. 

14.  I  said  let  me  walk  in  the  fields  he  said  no  walk  in  the 
town  I  said  there  are  no  flowers  there  he  said  no  flowers 
but  a  crown. 

15.  Cities  are  where  people  are  too  close  together  and  too  far 
apart  says  a  wise  writer. 

16.  Smiles  and  tears  joys  and  sorrows  strength  and  weariness 
are  closely  associated  in  life. 

17.  This  is  the  man  whom  you  mentioned. 

18.  Under  the  broad  expanse  of  heaven  in  the  wilds  of  Africa 
he  saw  the  moon  looking  down  with  a  friendly  smile. 

19.  In  the  city  of  Chicago  on  LaSalle  St.  he  will  be  found. 

20.  When  all  around  is  a  desert  and  the  clouds  obscure  the 

light 
When  there  are  no  songs  for  the  darkest  days 
No  stars  for  the  longest  nights  be  glad. 


LESSON  LIV. 
Comma. 

Rule  20.  Participial  phrases  are  always  set  off  when  pre- 
ceding a  noun,  and  set  off  after  it,  if  not  restrictive.  Ex. : 
Hearing  of  your  loss,  I  hasten  to  extend  my  sympathy. 

Rule  21.  A  non-restrictive  clause  when  adding  a  new 
thought,  is  always  set  off  by  a  comma;  as,  Bring  me  the  book, 
which  you  will  find  on  the  table. 

Rule  22.  If  or  is  followed  by  explanatory  words,  the  comma 
is  required ;  as.  The  building,  or  bungalow,  is  completed. 

Rule  23.  Two  or  more  words  in  the  same  construction,  con- 
nected by  or  or  nor  do  not  require  a  comma  but  two  or  more 
sentences,  when  connected  by  these  conjunctions,  must  have  a 


140  HANDBOOK   OF 

comma  before  the  conjunction  unless  the  sentences  are  short 
and  the  connection  close.  Ex. :  John  will  take  music  in  Chi- 
cago, or  he  will  study  medicine  in  Boston. 

Punctuate. 

1.  To  be  as  wise  as  serpents  and  as  harmless  as  doves  was 
emphasized. 

2.  He  reads  many  books  but  she  is  continually  wasting  her 
time. 

3.  Having  made  a  careful  preparation  for  the  position  Miss 
Jaynes  entered  the  First  National  Bank  yesterday. 

4.  The  boy  is  making  an  effort  to  secure  an  education  and  I 
think  we  should  aid  him  in  every  way  possible. 

5.  Mr.  James  will  be  in  San  Antonio  next  week  when  he  will 
be  pleased  to  show  you  our  latest  spring  patterns  in  dress- 
goods. 

6.  The  boy  receiving  the  sad  news  left  immediately  for  his 
home. 

7.  Possessed  of  this  knowledge  he  will  surely  succeed. 

8.  He  declaring  his  innocence  to  the  last  paid  for  his  crime 
upon  the  scaffold. 

9.  The  stenographer  anxious  to  please  his  employer  did  not 
leave  the  office  upon  the  stroke  of  the  hour  for  closing. 

10.  The  typist  encouraged  by  the  results  of  his  first  ef- 
fort was  faithful  in  practice  and  in  time  became  an  ex- 
pert operator  on  the  machine. 

11.  The  man  is  in  the  upper  row  who  will  hand  you  the  book 
mentioned. 

12.  The  savages  or  cannibals  on  the  island  have  been  civilized. 

13.  He  was  about  to  whip  me  soundly  when  I  told  him  the 
mischief  was  not  of  my  making. 

14.  I  was  taken  into  his  confidence  told  many  facts  concerning 
the  business  and  soon  discovered  the  financial  condition 
of  the  firm. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  141 

15.  We  have  looked  into  this  affair  which  by  the  way  is  rather 
peculiar. 

16.  We  shall  give  you  thirty  days  time  on  the  bill  which  is 
the  best  we  can  do. 

17.  The  letter  was  received  this  morning  which  will  be  an- 
swered soon. 

18.  There  is  a  boy  at  the  door  who  will  come  in  if  you  ask 
him. 

19.  I  talked  with  the  manager  who  said  he  put  John  and  Carl 
to  work. 

20.  The  grove  or  orchard  was  well  cared  for. 

21.  The  road  or  trail  was  easily  followed. 

22.  The  river  or  stream  was  nearly  dry. 

23.  The  book  or  pamphlet  was  made  yesterday. 

24.  The  article  or  item  was  omitted. 

25.  Wishing  you  a  pleasant  journey  we  are. 

26.  Trusting  the  above  will  not  inconvenience  you  and  that 
you  will  call  at  an  early  date  I  am. 

27.  The  water  or  moisture  was  very  noticeable. 

28.  Wishing  you  success  in  your  undertaking  I  remain. 

29.  The  letter  was  received  this  morning  which  will  be  an- 
swered soon. 

30.  The  road  or  trail  was  easily  followed. 

LESSON  LV. 
Comma. 

Rule  24.  If  several  antecedents  come  before  a  restricted 
clause,  a  comma  precedes  it,  also  use  commas  when  several  rela- 
tive clauses  relate  to  a  single  sentence.  "There  were  present 
men,  women,  and  children  who  were  in  the  San  Francisco 
earthquake." 

Rule  25.     Two  correlatives,  as  so  and  as,  though  and  yet. 


142  HANDBOOK   OF 

when  connecting  dependent  sentences  are  usually  separated  by 
commas,  unless  the  sentence  is  short.  "Though  he  slay  me,  yet 
will  I  trust  him." 

Rule  26.  When  one  sentence  depends  in  sense  upon  another, 
this  dependence  being  often  expressed  by  a  conjunction  denot- 
ing cause  or  result,  or  adverb  denoting  time,  the  sentence  should 
be  separated  by  a  comma.  "Love  not  sleep,  lest  thou  come  to 
poverty." 

Exercise. 

1.  Orphans  thrown  upon  the  charities  of  the  world  should 
always  be  treated  with  kindness. 

2.  As  waters  rush  down  the  mountain  sides  so  came  the  High- 
landers down  from  their  native  cliffs. 

3.  As  far  as  the  East  is  from  the  West  so  far  is  truth  from 
falsehood. 

4.  As  a  flower  of  the  field  so  he  flourisheth. 

5.  He  pointed  out  to  me  the  three  men  Adams  Jones  and 
Smith  who  were  responsible  for  the  trouble. 

6.  Judges  whose  knowledge  is  great  whose  integrity  is  un- 
doubted and  whose  judgment  is  unerring  are  most  valuable 
in  any  community. 

7.  The  poverty  disease  and  pain  which  had  brought  him  to 
his  present  position  had  stamped  clearly  their  effects  upon 
him. 

8.  The  infirmities  diseases  and  succeeding  distempers  that 
usually  accompany  a  seige  and  famine  cause  a  great  de- 
struction to  human  life. 

9.  The  clerks  stenographers  bookkeepers  and  teachers  who 
went  on  the  excursion  did  not  return  until  a  late  hour. 

10.     The  teacher  named  Charles  Harry  and  John  who  were 
doing  good  work. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  143 

11.  Young  men  whose  education  is  practical  whose  manners 
are  pleasing  whose  moral  habits  are  irreproachable  are 
being  sought  by  business  men. 

12.  The  anger  malice  and  revenge  that  we  often  harbor  in  our 
hearts  are  extremely  dangerous. 

13.  The  extremes  of  fortune  the  resulting  depression  of  spirits 
the  low  physical  vitality  that  the  man  endured  made  his 
body  a  ready  prey  for  disease. 

14.  As  the  day  so  shall  thy  strength  be. 

15.  We  are  never  better  satisfied  than  when  having  our  own 
way. 

16.  They  are  swifter  than  eagles. 

17.  As  the  teacher  so  the  class. 

18.  Like  the  mother  earnest  faithful  and  gentle  so  was  the 
daughter  as  she  entered  womanhood. 

19.  Go  where  you  will  you  will  find  no  place  like  home. 

20.  Just  at  this  time  it  is  important  that  the  lessons  be  learned 
thoroughly  for  opportunity  will  be  given  in  practical  life 
for  their  application. 

21.  It  is  no  wonder  that  some  assistants  fail  to  give  satisfac- 
tion in  the  office  for  they  do  not  follow  the  advice  of  their 
teacher  in  the  schoolroom. 

22.  She  will  make  a  first-class  bookkeeper  because  she  is  care- 
ful and  accurate  in  her  work. 

23.  His  aspirations  are  high  although  his  environment  is 
very  unfavorable  for  their  development. 

24.  Wherever  we  may  go  we  cannot  get  beyond  the  reach  of 
a  kind  Providence. 

25.  After  the  lessons  were  learned  the  class  studied  nature 
along  the  stream. 


144  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  LVI. 
General  Exercise  for  Punctuation. 

1.  Mary  said  a  would-be  agreeable  took  his  seat  between 
madam  de  Stael  and  the  reigning  beauty  of  the  day  how 
happy  I  am  he  said  between  wit  and  beauty  yes  replied 
madam  de  Stael  and  without  possessing  either. 

2.  He  said  I  get  a  great  deal  of  comfort  from  the  biblical 
quotation  blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart. 

3.  Will  you  kindly  correct  the  enclosed  article  and  return 
it  at  your  earliest  convenience  and  greatly  oblige  yours 
truly  John  Black. 

4.  The  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss  quoted  the  man  who 
had  never  been  outside  of  his  home  country  true  returned 
the  globe-trotter  but  it  acquires  an  enviable  polish. 

5.  We  have  yours  in  regard  to  our  salesman  calling  on  you. 

6.  We  herewith  return  your  letter  in  regard  to  John  and 
Smiths  receiving  goods  from  us  in  bad  condition. 

7.  He  most  lives  who  thinks  most  feels  the  noblest  acts  the 
best. 

8.  Breathes  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead  who  never  to  him- 
self hath  said  This  is  my  own  my  native  land. 

9.  The  correct  remark  has  been  made  that  it  is  a  great 
loss  to  lose  an  affliction. 

10.  He  is  the  richest  man  who  enriches  his  country  most  in 
whom  the  people  feel  richest  and  proudest  who  gives  him- 
self with  his  money  who  opens  the  doors  of  opportunity 
widest  to  those  about  him  who  is  ears  to  the  deaf  and  feet 
to  the  lame. 

11.  The  man  or  woman  who  believes  well  is  apt  to  work  well 
and  faith  is  as  much  the  key  to  happiness  here  as  it  is 
the  key  to  happiness  hereafter. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  145 

12.  Yes  let  me  be  free  let  me  go  and  come  at  my  own  will  lee 
me  do  business  and  make  journeys  without  a  vexatious 
police  or  insolent  soldiery  to  watch  my  steps  let  me  think 
and  do  and  speak  what  I  please  subject  to  no  limit  but 
that  which  is  set  by  the  common  weal  subject  to  no  limit 
but  that  to  which  conscience  binds  me  and  I  will  bless 
my  country  and  love  its  rugged  rocks  and  its  most 
barren  soil. 

13.  I  was  asked  if  I  would  stop  for  dinner. 

14.  Be  our  plain  answer  this  the  throne  we  honor  is  the 
peoples  choice  the  laws  we  reverence  are  our  brave  fathers 
legacy  the  faith  we  follow  teaches  us  to  live  in  bonds  of 
charity  with  all  mankind  and  die  with  hope  of  bliss  be- 
yond the  grave. 

15.  The  shrub  is  taller  than  the  flower  which  grows  in  its 
shade  the  tree  than  the  shrub  the  rock  than  the  tree  the 
mountain  than  the  single  rock  and  above  all  are  the  sun 
and  the  heavens. 

16.  He  was  respectful  not  servile  to  superiors  affable  not  im- 
properly familiar  to  equals  and  condescending  not  super- 
cilious to  those  beneath  him. 

17.  The  woods  may  disappear  but  the  spirit  of  them  will 
never  vanish  for  it  has  been  felt  by  a  poet  and  we  can 
feel  forever  what  he  felt. 

18.  Every  one  must  of  course  think  his  own  opinions  right 
for  if  he  thought  them  wrong  they  would  no  longer  be  his 
opinions  but  there  is  a  wide  difference  .between  regarding 
ourselves  as  infallible  and  being  firmly  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  our  creed. 

19.  Did  greece  fall  like  lucifer  never  to  hope  again? 

20.  O  freedom  thou  art  not  as  poets  dream  a  fair  young  girl. 

21.  Oh  what  a  glorious  part  does  a  good  and  intelligent 
mother  take  on  the  great  stage  of  humanity. 


146  HANDBOOK   OF 

LESSON  LVII. 

Dash. 

1.  The  dash  is  used  when  there  is  an  unexpected  change  of 
thought,  or  when  the  train  of  thought  is  stopped;  as,  Do  you 
think  him  an  honest  —  but  why  should  I  ask  such  a  question 
of  his  friend? 

2.  The  Dash  is  used  when  there  is  hesitation  on  the  part  of 
the  speaker,  when  an  explanation  is  added  which  is  not  suffi- 
ciently distinct  to  require  the  parenthesis,  and  when  there  is  an 
abrupt  repetition.  Examples.  She  said  he  was  a —  a —  a  vil- 
lian.  Who  has  not  heard  of  George  Washington  —  George 
Washington  who  stood  by  our  country  in  her  peril.     The  girls 

—  Lucy  and  May  —  are  going. 

3.  The  Dash  is  used  when  a  rhetorical  pause  following  a 
grammatical  point  is  required,  in  the  following  cases: — 

1.  After  a  comma  succeeding  a  series  of  adjuncts  in  the 
same  construction.  Ex. :  The  loss  of  business,  the  breaking  up 
of  social  ties,  the  endurance  of  ill  health,  —  all  these  he  suf- 
fered in  his  last  days. 

2.  After  a  period  following  the  subject  head  in  the  same 
paragraph,  and  after  a  period  preceding  the  name  of  an 
author  following  the  subject  matter  in  the  same  paragraph, 
also  after  a  colon  when  a  new  paragraph  follows.  Examples: 
Bones  of  the  Head.  —  The  bones  of  the  head  are  divided  into 

—  etc.     We  are  fortunate  to  behold  this  day.  —  George  W. 
Curtis. 

3.  Between  questions  and  answers  written  in  the  same  para- 
graph. Ex.:  "How  old  are  you?" —  "Nineteen  last  Decem- 
ber."—"Do  you  live  in  this  city?"  — "I  do." 

4.  Following  a  period  when  the  train  of  thought  is 
changed,  but  not  enough  to  require  a  new  paragraph.  Ex.  : 
When  I  traveled  in  California,  the  beautiful  flowers,  the  de- 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  147 

licious  fruits,  the  glorious  sunshine,  renewed  my  youth  —  but 
let  me  help  you  to  more  of  the  turkey? 

Punctuate. 

1.  He  is  troubled  with  consumption  consumption  of  victuals. 

2.  He  is  a  a  a  villian  of  the  deepest  dye. 

3.  Dare  you  but  how  shall  I  ask  questions  that  might  involve 
your  own  life. 

4.  Kindness  sympathy  pity  tenderness  all  these  were  re- 
flected in  his  countenance. 

5.  He  is  a  famous  lover  a  lover  of  himself. 

6.  Do  not  speak  to  me  of  devotion  you  know  not  the  name. 

7.  Now  fruit  chocolate  look  here  did  I  ever  tell  you  how 
when  I  was  in  the  south  sea  islands  and  the  speaker  began 
one  of  his  interesting  anecdotes. 

8.  No  one  man  even  though  it  were  hannibal  himself  could 
in  a  generation  effect  such  a  work. 

9.  You  are  a  coward  and  I  care  not  who  hears  it. 

10.  James  is  your  master  in  yes  sir  can  I  see  him  no  sir  why 
not  because  he  is  engaged  at  present  but  my  business  is 
urgent  cannot  help  it  sir  had  strict  orders  to  admit  no 
one  but  will  you  not  carry  him  my  card  and  tell  him  I 
must  see  him  I  will  do  that  then  I  will  await  his  answer. 

11.  She  thought  she  saw  a  a  mouse. 

12.  No  one  should  believe  that  I  am  a  a  a  dunce. 

13.  The  ability  to  write  shorthand  at  a  speed  of  one  hundred 
words  per  minute  to  take  dictation  on  the  machine  at  50 
words  a  minute  to  file  letters  so  that  they  can  be  found 
without  difficulty  to  be  courteous  to  callers  these  are 
some  of  the  requirements  of  a  good  stenographer. 

14.  Newspapers  in  every  section  of  the  country  we  have  two 
classes  of  newspapers  the  one  which  tends  to  uplift  the 
morals  of  its  readers  and  the  one  which  publishes  every 
piece  of  news  no  matter  how  unsavory  it  may  be. 


148  HANDBOOK   OF 

15.  Her  efforts  against  poverty  her  courageous  spirit  under 
trying  circumstances  her  calm  sweet  spirit  through  many 
sad  experiences  all  these  endeared  her  to  the  hearts  of 
those  who  knew  her. 

16.  Into  all  lives  some  rain  must  fall  Longfellow. 

17.  When  you  become  teachers  and  find  yourselves  unable  to 
give  satisfaction  you  will  wish  your  time  for  thorough 
preparation  had  not  been  wasted  but  I  did  not  mean  to 
lecture  you  today. 

18.  Bring  me  fruit  nuts  cereals  anything  but  meat  I  want  no 
meat. 

LESSON  LVIIL 
Parenthesis. 

1.  The  words  within  the  parenthesis  should  be  punctuated 
as  an  independent  construction;  as,  "We  are  all  of  us  (who 
can  deny  it?)  partial  to  our  own  failings." 

2.  When  the  word  preceding  the  parenthesis  requires  a 
punctuation  mark,  the  mark  is  placed  after  the  parenthesis 
if  the  last  word  within  the  parenthesis  is  not  punctuated ;  other- 
wise, the  punctuation  mark  is  placed  before  the  parenthesis ;  as, 
"Pride  in  some  disguise  or  other  (often  a  secret  to  the  proud 
man  himself),  is  the  most  ordinary  spring  of  action  among 
men." 

3.  When  the  parenthesis  is  independent  of  the  context,  a 
period  is  placed  after  the  matter  within  the  parenthesis,  and 
also  after  the  word  that  precedes  it ;  as,  "Alaska  can  hardly  be 
considered  as  lying  under  the  sun."     (Laughter.) 

4.  An  exclamation  point  in  a  parenthesis  is  often  placed 
after  a  word  or  a  sentence  to  express  irony  or  contempt;  and 
an  interrogation  point  to  express  doubt;  as,  "An  Englishman 
once  asked  if  Boston  (  !)  was  the  capital  of  New  York  State." 
"When  I  am  elected  to  that  office   ( ?)   I  will  not  forget  you. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  149 

5.  When  an  extraordinary  degree  of  emotion  is  to  be  ex- 
pressed, several  exclamation  points  without  the  parenthesis 
are  sometimes  used;  as,  "Place  of  refuge!  Retreat  for  the  suf- 
fering ! !  They  are  abodes  of  cruelty,  the  full  narration  of  whose 
deeds  would  outrage  the  sense  of  public  justice/' 

6.  The  brackets  instead  of  the  parenthesis  are  frequently 
used  when  a  word  is  to  be  introduced  in  a  quoted  passage,  and  in 
special  cases  in  dictionaries ;  as,  "Five  hundred  dollars  are  [is] 
not  enough  to  pay  for  this  lot."  Blarney  [Fr.  a  legend  of 
Blarney  Castle,  Ireland]."  "Elate  [L.  elatus,  p.  p.  of  efferre, 
to  carry  out]." 

Punctuate. 

1.  The  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  was  taught 
explicitly  at  least  as  explicitly  as  could  be  expected  of 
an  ancient  philosopher  by  Socrates. 

2.  We  are  all  of  us  who  can  deny  it?  partial  to  our  own 
failings. 

3.  I  wish  to  ask  the  gentleman  from  Ohio  Mr.  Thomas  a 
question  which  he  may  not  want  to  answer  in  this  place 
hear,  hear. 

4.  Pride  in  some  disguise  or  other  often  a  secret  to  the  proud 
man  himself,  is  the  most  ordinary  spring  of  action  among 
men. 

5.  While  the  Christian  desires  the  approbation  of  his  fellow 
men,  and  why  should  he  not  desire  it?  he  disdains  to  re- 
ceive their  good  will  by  dishonorable  means. 

6.  Can  we  call  such  a  person  by  any  other  name  than  a 
tyrant?  I  use  the  word  with  a  full  understanding  of  the 
responsibilities  I  assume  by  its  use. 

7.  The  second  President  of  the  United  States  John  Adams 
had  only  one  term  as  president. 

8.  Benjamin  Franklin  one  of  our  first  ministers  to  France 
did  much  for  the  cause  of  American  liberty. 


150  HANDBOOK   OF 

9.  I  am  not  in  sympathy  with  the  reasonings  or  the  conclu- 
sions of  the  speaker  who  has  just  taken  his  seat.  Hisses 
mingled  with  cheers. 

10.  Day  of  fate  Dangers  unparalleled  Woes  unutterable  Who 
can  describe  the  horrors  of  the  French  revolution. 

11.  A.  M.  Artium  Magister  Master  of  Arts. 

12.  His  manner  of  writing  i.  e.  his  style  is  very  pleasing. 

13.  Miss  Smith  such  is  our  teacher's  name  expelled  three 
pupils  for  bad  conduct. 

14.  The  orator  who  made  a  grammatical  mistake  in  nearly 
every  sentence  which  he  uttered,  is  called  an  Oxford 
scholar. 

15.  The  days  have  passed  1800  when  the  bitterness  of  party 
spirit  prevented  the  possibility  of  arriving  at  calm  judg- 
ments. 


LESSON  LIX. 
Apostrophe. 

The  apostrophe  is  a  comma  placed  above  the  line.  It  is 
used  to  denote  the  omission  of  a  letter  or  letters  in  a  word; 
as,  e'er,  for  ever ;  don't  for  do  not ;  'tis  for  it  is. 

Accents. 

The  acute  accent  (')  is  used  to  denote  the  accented  syllable 
of  a  word  as,  plurality.  It  is  also  placed  over  the  final  e  of 
the  French  origin;  when  the  e  has  the  sound  of  a  as  in  San 
Jose.  It  is  also  placed  over  the  last  word  of  a  question  to  show 
that  the  rising  inflection  should  be  given. 

The  Grave  Accent  {^)  is  used  when  it  is  desired  to  show 
that  a  question  should  have  the  falling  inflection,  and  to  in- 
dicate that  certain  letters  should  be  pronounced  separately  and 
not  joined  in  sound  with  the  preceding  syllable;  as,  "How  old 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  151 

are  you?'^  "He  is  a  learned  man."  All  questions  that  can  be 
answered  by  yes  or  no  should  have  the  rising  inflection,  others 
the  falling. 

The  Circumflex  Accent  {")  placed  over  a  word  shows  that 
it  should  be  read  with  a  combination  of  the  rising  and  the  fall- 
ing inflection. 

Brace. 

THE  BRACE  is  used  to  connect  several  words  or  expres- 
sions having  a  common  relationship. 

r  Abstract 
Common  Nouns.    <  Verbal 

y  Collective 

Diaeresis. 

THE  DIAERESIS  (")  is  placed  over  the  latter  of  two 
contiguous  vowels,  as  zoology. 

Caret. 

THE  CARET  (A)  INDICATES  omission  of  words  to  be 
my 
supplied;  as,  It  is   intention. 
A 

Cedilla. 

THE  CEDILLA  (,)  is  a  mark  resembling  a  comma  placed 
under  the  letter  c  in  some  words  to  show  that  it  requires  the 
sound  of  s,  as,  fagile. 

Punctuate. 

1.  I  saw  the  phaeton.  2.  He  studied  zoology.  3  He 
was  a  learned  man.  4.  Your  name  is  Smith.  5.  His  mind 
was  tranquil  mid  all  the  perils  of  the  deep.  6.  Tho  he  slay 
me  yet  will  I  trust  him.  7.  The  toy  was  worth  only  a 
hapenny.     8.     They  darent  refuse  his  request.     9.     He  doesnt 


152  HANDBOOK   OF 

acknowledge  all  his  obligations  in  the  matter.  10.  They  sat 
neath  the  shadow  of  a  favorite  oak.  11.  Is  this  the  right 
word.  12.  Who  goes  there,  13.  Would  a  friend  advise 
such  a  step.  14.  This  work  on  zoology  is  a  most  excellent 
one.     15.     Een  to  old  age  he  preserved  his  integrity. 

Arrange  and  Punctuate. 

mr  homer  a  brown  hacienda  cal  dear  sir  in  looking  over  our 
books  today  we  find  that  your  account  with  us  amounting  to 
$35.00  is  three  months  overdue  several  statements  of  this  ac- 
count have  been  sent  you  but  presume  you  have  overlooked 
them  owing  to  some  heavy  bills  which  fall  due  the  first  of  the 
month  which  we  shall  not  be  able  to  meet  unless  our  outstand- 
ing accounts  are  promptly  paid  we  wish  you  would  kindly  call 
at  your  earliest  convenience  and  make  arrangements  to  settle 
if  not  all  at  least  a  part  of  your  account  and  the  balance  to 
date  trusting  the  above  will  not  inconvenience  you  and  that 
you  will  call  at  an  early  date  i  am  very  truly  yours. 

LESSON  LX. 
Correct  and  Punctuate. 

mr  John  b  gray  wheeling  w  va  dear  sir  your  inquiry  in  regard 
to  the  knabe  piano  is  received  we  are  mailing  you  today  under 
separate  cover  a  catalogue  of  the  knabe  piano  you  are  no  doubt 
aware  that  it  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  expensive  pianos  on 
the  market  today  we  should  like  very  much  to  place  one  of 
these  in  your  home  we  believe  it  would  lead  to  more  sales  in 
your  locality  we  find  only  one  complaint  in  this  piano  and  that 
is  the  price  we  believe  when  you  take  into  consideration  its 
tone  durability  and  finish  that  it  is  the  cheapest  in  the  end 
the  prices  marked  in  the  catalogue  are  the  regular  prices  for 
the  various  styles  of  instruments  we  give  a  discount  of  ten  per 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  153 

cent  for  cash  from  these  prices  we  shall  be  glad  to  send  you 
one  of  these  instruments  and  if  you  are  not  satisfied  after  giv- 
ing it  a  free  trial  you  may  return  it  to  us  and  we  will  pay  all 
expenses  we  also  carry  about  25  other  makes  of  pianos  ranging 
in  price  from  $100  up  to  the  price  of  the  knabe  let  us  know 
about  what  you  axe  willing  to  pay  and  we  will  send  you  an  in- 
strument on  approval  which  we  are  sure  you  will  consider  full 
value  for  yoiu:  money  we  thank  you  very  kindly  for  writing 
to  us  and  we  hope  we  may  have  the  pleasure  of  doing  some 
business  with  you  all  our  pianos  are  sold  direct  from  our  house 
and  none  through  local  dealers  so  if  you  place  an  order  with 
us  you  will  save  the  payment  of  two  or  three  profits  if  you 
are  not  prepared  to  pay  cash  we  will  give  you  as  liberal  terms 
as  any  piano  house  in  the  country  hoping  that  we  may  have  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  from  you  by  return  mail  we  are  yours 
truly. 

kansas  construction  co  leavenworth  kansas  gentlemen  we  have 
your  letter  of  may  25th  concerning  shipment  of  empty  sacks 
to  the  fort  scott  portland  cement  co  under  date  of  January 
20th  we  find  after  careful  investigation  that  no  record  of  the 
receipt  of  the  shipment  in  question  namely  16  bundles  contain- 
ing 320  sacks  is  available  at  the  mills  we  find  further  that  the 
efforts  made  by  your  local  freight  agent  and  the  freight  audi- 
tor here  have  been  wholly  misdirected  on  the  same  day  that  you 
shipped  the  sacks  in  question  you  also  shipped  to  the  kansas 
Portland  cement  co  likewise  at  fort  scott  26  bundles  containing 
520  empty  sacks  for  which  you  received  credit  through  the 
d  w  hall  CO  of  this  city  this  shipment  was  consigned  via  the 
c  b  &  q  way  bill  169  whereas  the  consignment  to  the  fort  scott 
Portland  cement  co  was  on  way  bill  168  it  now  develops  that 
the  shipment  which  has  been  traced  is  169  for  which  you  have 
already  received  credit  and  therefore  our  efforts  have  been  en- 
tirely fruitless  we  suggest  that  you  take  immediate  steps  to 


154  HANDBOOK   OF 

see  that  your  local  railroad  agents  trace  the  proper  shipment 
way  bill  168  which  as  has  been  said  has  not  arrived  at  the  mill 
we  are  extremely  sorry  that  there  should  have  been  any  confu- 
sion in  following  up  your  shipment  it  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the 
carelessness  of  your  local  agent  in  making  out  tracing  papers 
we  wish  to  assure  you  of  our  desire  to  secure  a  satisfactory 
statement  of  this  account  and  trust  that  no  further  difficulties 
may  arise  we  are  mailing  you  a  revised  pricelist  you  will  be 
glad  to  see  that  the  prices  of  all  grades  of  cement  are  slightly 
lower  than  our  last  quotations  the  price  of  brick  however  has 
advanced  and  will  probably  go  still  higher  owing  to  the  local 
demand  being  so  great  hoping  you  will  continue  to  favor  us 
with  a  generous  portion  of  your  patronage  we  are  yours  truly. 


LESSON  LXI. 

Correct  and  Punctuate. 

mr  abraham  b  rowley  woodbine  iowa  dear  sir  we  understand 
that  you  are  feeding  a  number  of  cattle  you  will  therefore  be 
interested  in  our  up  to  date  line  of  cattle  feeding  machines 
we  sell  corn  crushers  that  crush  the  corn  cobs  and  husks  all 
together  into  a  coarse  meal  corn  crushers  that  shell  off  the 
grain  and  husks  and  crush  the  grain  and  husks  together  throw- 
ing out  the  cob  crushers  that  crush  shredded  corn  only 
corn  crushers  that  crush  the  ears  of  the  corn  only  not  mashing 
the  grain  in  fact  feed  cutters  that  do  a  greater  amount  and 
variety  of  cutting  than  any  other  machine  experience  and  tests 
have  proved  that  the  best  half  of  the  corn  crop  is  contained 
in  the  stalks  and  husks  our  combined  feed  cutter  and  shredder 
will  cut  stalks  husks  ears  and  cobs  leaving  them  in  the  best 
possible  condition  for  feeding  to  the  cattle  it  would  enable  you 
to  save  enough  good  food  that  would  otherwise  be  wasted  to 
pay  for  the  original  cost  of  this  machine  in  one  year  save  your 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  155 

entire  corn  crop  and  save  your  hay  if  you  will  try  this  plan  of 
leaving  the  husks  on  the  corn  for  feeding  cattle  it  is  a  fact  that 
feed  well  prepared  by  one  of  these  machines  has  almost  double 
the  value  of  food  used  in  the  ordinary  way  these  machines  merit 
the  attention  of  cattle  feeders  for  the  following  reasons  they 
put  the  corn  in  the  best  possible  shape  to  secure  the  rapid  gain 
of  flesh  and  health  of  the  cattle  they  enable  farmers  to  fatten 
with  three  fourths  of  the  quantity  required  by  the  old  method 
of  feeding  write  for  our  illustrated  catalogue  yours  truly, 
mr  leslie  n  craig  plainfield  new  jersey  dear  sir  your  letter 
asking  for  information  in  regard  to  certain  tracts  of  land  in  the 
valley  of  the  big  horn  in  Wyoming  came  duly  to  hand  as  you 
know  i  have  for  more  than  a  dozen  years  lived  in  the  west  and 
have  traveled  extensively  in  the  semi  arid  states  of  Idaho  Wash- 
ington Oregon  Utah  Colorado  new  mexico  Wyoming  and  montana 
i  have  been  much  interested  in  irrigation  having  assisted  in  the 
survey  of  one  of  the  largest  canals  now  in  operation  i  have 
recently  visited  the  big  horn  country  and  am  ready  to  give  it 
my  unqualified  praise  the  most  important  considerations  in 
arid  countries  is  the  abundance  of  the  water  supply  and  the 
ease  of  distribution  of  the  water  over  the  land  the  conditions  in 
the  part  of  the  basin  in  which  the  land  in  question  lies  are 
ideal  the  land  is  so  nearly  level  that  the  water  will  follow  a  com- 
mon plow  furrow  for  miles  another  important  consideration 
is  the  cost  of  preparing  the  land  for  cultivation  in  this  particu- 
lar valley  it  costs  absolutely  nothing  for  either  leveling  or 
clearing  a  soft  salt  sage  sparsely  covers  the  valley  a  disc  tears 
it  to  pieces  i  was  in  a  field  put  to  wheat  last  year  the  ground 
was  disced  twice  and  wheat  sown  that  wheat  last  year  produced 
38  bushels  to  the  acre  on  that  unplowed  land  the  fertility  of 
the  soil  is  marvelous  there  is  no  gravel  and  no  stone  the 
washing  away  of  the  hills  and  the  decomposing  of  vegetable 
matter  through  the  countless  ages  of  the  past  have  created  a 
soil  unsurpassed  this  combined  with  the  abundance  of  water 


156  HANDBOOK   OF 

brought  down  by  the  big  horn  river  and  the  ease  with  which  it 
is  being  distributed  makes  this  a  country  of  unusual  promise 
the  climate  is  also  very  attractive  the  winters  are  very  mild 
^nd  the  summers  are  favorable  for  growing  crops  yours  very 
truly. 


LESSON  LXII. 
Circular  Letter. 

Write  a  circular  letter  to  Miss  Jennie  Scranton,  Los  Angeles, 
California. 

Object,  To  Advertise  your  Shorthand  Department. 

1.  Refer  to  the  Reputation  of  the  System  taught. 

2.  Refer  to  the  Reputation  of  the  School. 

3.  Refer  to  the  Reputation  of  the  Teachers. 

4.  Refer  to  the  Reputation  of  the  Graduates. 

5.  Mention  the  fact  that  what  is  valuable  to  hundreds  of 
others  may  be  valuable  to  the  recipient. 

6.  State  the  cost  of  the  course  and  the  time  required. 

7.  Express  your  willingness  to  give  further  information. 

8.  Extend  a  cordial  invitation  to  the  recipient  to  call  and 
see  the  work  done. 

Follow-Up   Letters. 

1.  State  that  the  recipient  doubtless  received  a  previous  letter, 
setting  forth  the  merits  of  the  school,  but  probably  over- 
looked answering  it. 

2.  Set  forth  some  new  merits,  other  than  those  that  were  men- 
tioned in  the  former  letter. 

3.  Request  a  visit  from  him  to  the  school. 

4.  Enclose  a  testimonial  of  one  of  the  graduates. 

5.  Essentials — Genuine  frankness  and  candor. 


commercial  english  157 

Letters  of  Application. 

Write  an  answer  to  an  advertisement  for  a  stenographer. 

1.  (a)      Form — Appearance — Neatness — Spelling — Capitali- 

zation— Grammatical  Construction, 
(b)     Concise,    yet   expressing   qualifications,    not   stilted, 
but  straight-forward,  manly,  free  from  display. 

2.  (a)     Explanation  as  to  why  the  application  is  made. 

(b)  Statement  of  age  and  qualifications. 

(c)  Name  of  reference;  and  credentials,  if  any  are  en- 
closed. 

Letter. 

Advertising  Space  Desired. 

1.  Write  a  letter  enclosing  an  advertisement  of  your  business. 

2.  Request  rates  on  it  for  one  week  or  longer. 

Letter. 

1.     Write  a  letter  giving  the  resources  of  the  locality  in  which 
you  live. 

Formal  Notes. 

Formal  notes  and  invitations  are  written  in  the  third  person 
and  should  be  answered,  also,  in  the  third  person,  for  example ; 
1.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  Kingsley  request  the 
pleasure  of  Mr.  Rolland  Eberhart's  company  at 
dinner,  on  Thursday  evening  June  the  third,  at 
seven  o'clock. 
1920  Maple  Street 
May  thirtieth. 


158  HANDBOOK  OF 

2.  Mr.  Eberhart  accepts  with  pleasure  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walter  Kingsley's  kind  invitation  to  dinner 
on  Thursday  evening,  June  the  third,  at  seven 
o'clock. 

29  Coe  Ave. 
June  first. 

3.  Mr.  Eberhart  regrets  that  he  cannot  accept 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  Kingsley's  kind  invitation 
to  dinner  on  Thursday  evening,  June  the  third. 
29  Coe  Ave. 

June  first. 
If  a  large  number  of  invitations  are  sent  out,  it  is  desirable 
to  write  them  in  the  second  person,  as: 

4.  The  class  of  Nineteen  Hundred  and  Thirteen 

Columbia  School  of  Expression 

requests  the  honor  of  your  presence  at  the 

Commencement  Exercises 

Wednesday,  June  eighteenth 

at  two  o'clock. 

Temple  Auditorium, 

Chicago. 

5.  Miss  Jennie  Bryant  accepts  with  pleasure 
the  kind  invitation  of  the  class  of  Nineteen 
Hundred  and  Thirteen,  Columbia  School  of 
Expression,  to  attend  the  Commencement  Exer- 
cises, Wednesday,  June  eighteenth,  at  two  o'clock, 
in  Temple  Auditorium. 

Informal  notes  are  written  in  the  first  person  and  no  set  form 
is  required. 

1.  Write  an  invitation  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Strong  to  dine 
with  you,  at  8  o'clock,  Wednesday  evening. 

2.  Write  an  acceptance  to  the  above  invitation. 

3.  Write  a  regret  to  the  above  invitation. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  159 

4.  Miss  Caroline  Bush  is  to  give  a  Valentine  party  on  Feb- 
ruary 14,  at  8  o'clock.  Write  for  her  an  invitation  to  Miss 
Lucy  Larcome. 

5.  Write  Miss  Larcome's  acceptance. 

6.  Write  an  informal  note  to  a  friend  expressing  apprecia- 
tion of  a  Christmas  gift  just  received. 

Telegrams. 

Both  clearness  and  brevity  are  absolutely  essential  in  the 
writing  of  telegrams. 

The  minimiun  charge  made  by  telegraph  companies  to  any 
part  of  the  United  States,  is  generally  upon  a  basis  of  ten 
words.  As  the  charge  is  the  same  for  a  smaller  number,  nothing 
is  gained  by  reducing  a  message  below  ten  words ;  but  for  every 
word  above  ten  an  additional  charge  is  made. 

No  charge  is  made  for  the  name  and  address  of  the  addressee 
or  for  the  name  of  the  sender. 

Exercise. 

1.  Write  a  telegram  accepting  a  clerkship  with  the  James 
Hardware  Company,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  State  the  time  of  your 
arrival  in  the  city.     Do  not  exceed  ten  words. 

2.  Telegraph  to  The  Jones  Paper  Company,  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  for  60  reams  of  French  bond  paper,  light  blue 
tint,  20x24,  heaviest  weight.  Paper  to  be  shipped  by  Southern 
Pacific  Freight. 


160  HANDBOOK   OF 

CONJUGATION  OF  THE  VERB  STUDY. 

ACTIVE  VOICE. 
Indicative  Mode. 
Present  Tense. 
Person.        Singular  Number.  Plural  Number. 

1.  I  study.  1.     We  study. 

2.  You  study.  2.     You  study. 

3.  He  studies.  3.     They  study. 

Present  Perfect  Tense. 

1.  I  have  studied.  1.     We  have  studied. 

2.  You  have  studied.  2.     You  have  studied. 

3.  He  has  studied.  3.     They  have  studied. 

Past  Tense. 

1.  I  studied.  1.     We  studied. 

2.  You  studied.  2.     You  studied. 

3.  He  studied.  3.     They  studied. 

Past  Perfect  Tense. 

1.  I  had  studied.  1.     We  had  studied. 

2.  You  had  studied.  2.     You  had  studied. 

3.  He  had  studied.  3.     They  had  studied. 

Future  Tense. 
Simple  Futurity. 

1.  I  shall  study.  1.     We  shall  study. 

2.  You  will  study.  2.     You  will  study. 

3.  He  will  study.  3.     They  will  study. 

Determination. 

1.  I  will  study.  1.     We  will  study. 

2.  You  shall  study.  2.     You  shall  study. 

3.  He  shall  study.  3.     They  shall  study. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


161 


Future  Perfect  Tense. 

1.  I  shall  have  studied.  1. 

2.  You  will  have  studied.        2. 

3.  He  will  have  studied.  3. 


We  shall  have  studied. 
You  will  have  studied. 
They  will  have  studied. 


CONJUGATION  OF  THE  VERB  STUDY. 
ACTIVE  VOICE. 


Subjunctive  Mode. 

Present  Tense, 

Person. 

1.  If  I  study. 

2.  If  you  study. 

3.  If  he  study. 

1.  If  we  study. 

2.  If  you  study. 

3.  If  they  study. 

Present  Perfect  Tense. 

1.  If  I  have  studied.  1.     If  we  have  studied. 

2.  If  you  have  studied.  2.     If  you  have  studied. 

3.     If  they  have  studied. 


If  he  has  studied. 


1.  If  I  studied. 

2.  If  you  studied. 

3.  If  he  studied. 


Past  Tense. 

1.  If  we  studied. 

2.  If  you  studied. 

3.  If  they  studied. 

Past  Perfect  Tense. 


1.  If  I  had  studied.  1. 

2.  If  you  had  studied.  2. 

3.  If  he  had  studied.  3. 


If  we  had  studied. 
If.  you  had  studied. 
If  they  had  studied. 


162  HANDBOOK  OP 

CONJUGATION  OF  THE  VERB  STUDY. 
ACTIVE  VOICE. 
Potential  Mode. 
Present  Tense. 
Person.      Singular  Number.  Plural  Number. 

1.  I  may,  can  or  must  study.  1.     We    may,     can,     or    must 

study. 

2.  You   may,    can,    or   must  2.     You    may,    can,    or    must 
study.  study. 

3.  He    may,    can,    or    must  3.     They    may,    can,    or    must 
study.  study. 

Present  Perfect  Tense. 

1.  I  may,  can,  or  must  have  1.  We  may,  can,  or  must  have 
studied.  studied. 

2.  You   may,    can,    or   must  2.  You  may,  can,  or  must  have 
have  studied.  studied. 

3.  He  may,  can,  or  must  have  3.  They,   may,    can,    or   must 
studied.  have  studied. 

Past  Tense. 

1.  I  mighv,  could,  would  or  1.  We  might,  could,  would  or 
should  study.  should  study. 

2.  You  might,  could,  would  2.  You  might,  could,  would  or 
or  should  study.  should  study. 

3.  He  might,  could,  would  or  3.  They  might,  could,  would, 
should  study.  or  should  study. 

Past  Perfect  Tense. 

1.  I  might,  could,  would  or  1.  We  might,  could,  would  or 
should  have  studied.  should  have  studied. 

2.  You  might,  could,  would  2,  You  might,  could,  would  or 
or  should  have  studied.  should  have  studied. 

3.  He  might,  could,  would  or  3.  They  might,  could,  would 
should  have  studied.  or  should  have  studied. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  163 

CONJUGATION  OF  THE  VERB  STUDY. 

ACTIVE  VOICE. 

Imperative  Mode. 

Present  Tense. 

Person.      Singular  Number.  Plural  Number. 

1.     Study  (you  or  thou).  1.     Study  (you  or  thou). 

Infinitive  Mode. 


Present. 

Present  Perfect. 

study. 

To  have  studied. 

Participles. 

Present. 

Past  Perfect. 

dying. 

Having  studied. 

Past. 

Studied. 

164 


HANDBOOK   OF 


A.  A 

A.  B.  or  B.  A.  . . 

A.  M.  or  M.  A.   . 

B.  C.  or  B.  C.  S. 


Litt.  B 
Ph.,  or 
B.  Sc 


Ph 


D.  Sc 


M.  L 


DEGREES 

The  following  are  the  more  usual  abbreviations,  with  the  de- 
grees for  which  they  stand — 

. .  Associate  of  Arts. 

. .  Bachelor  of  Arts. 

.  .Master  of  Arts. 

. .  Bachelor  of  Commerce  or  Bachelor  of 

•'  Commercial  Science. 

..Bachelor  of  Civil  Law. 

. .  Bachelor  of  Divinity. 

. .  Bachelor  of  Letters. 
B.  . .  Bachelor  of  Philosophy. 
....  Bachelor  of  Science. 
....  Civil  Engineer. 
. . .  .Master  of  Surgery. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Civil  Law. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Divinity. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Literature. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Medicine.    (Oxford.) 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Veterinary  Medicine. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Science. 
. . .  .Electrical  Engineer. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Laws. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Civil  and  Canon  Law. 
. . .  .Bachelor  of  Laws. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Letters  or  Humanities. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Laws. 
. . .  .Master  of  Laws. 
. . .  .Bachelor  of  Medicine. 
. . .  .Master  of  Civil  Engineering. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Medicine. 
. . .  .Master   of  Mining  Engineering. 
. . .  .Bachelor  of  Music. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Music. 
. . .  .Doctor  of  Philosophy. 
....  Graduate  in  Pharmacy. 
Veterinary  Surgeon. 


B.  C.  L. 
B.  D.  . . 
B.  L.  or 
B.  P.,  B 

B.  S.  or 

C.  E.   . . 

C.  M.    . 

D.  C.  L. 
D.   D.    . 
D.  Litt.  or  Litt 
D.  M.  . . 
D.  V.  M 

D.  S.  or 

E.  E.  . . 
J.  D.   . . 
J.  U.  D. 
LL.   B. 
L.  H.  D. 
LL.  D.  . 
LL.  M.  - 
M.   B.    . 
M.  C.  E. 
M.  D.    . 
M.  M.  E 
Mus.  B, 
Mus.  D 
Ph.  D. 
Ph.  G. 
V.  S.  . 


ABBREVIATIONS 

The  following  abbreviations  are  frequently  used  in  correspond- 
ence, namely: — 

Agl; Agent. 

A.  M meaning  Ante  Meridian — ^before  noon. 

Apr April. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH  165 

Asst Assistant. 

Aug August. 

c.  i.  f meaning  cost,  insurance,  and  freight ; 

that  is,  the  price  includes  the  cost 
of  the  goods,  packing,  insurance, 
freight,  etc. 

Cor.  Sec Corresponding  Secretary. 

Dec December. 

e.  g for  example. 

et  al and  others. 

etc et  cetera. 

Feb February. 

f.  o.  b meaning  free  on  board ;  siguiOes  that 

I         the    price    of    goods    includes    all 
^     !         charges  up  to  and  including  plac- 
ing the  goods  on  train  or  vessel. 

i.    e .that  is. 

inst meaning  instant — present  month. 

Jan January. 

M meaning  Meridies — ^meridian  or  noon. 

Mf g Manufacturing. 

Mgr Manager. 

Ms.  or  Mss Manuscript  or  Manuscripts. 

Nov November. 

P page. 

P.  M meaning  Post  Meridian — afternoon. 

PP pages. 

Prest.  or  Pres .President. 

prox meaning  proximo — coming  month. 

E.  R Railroad. 

Ew.,  Ry.,  or  'Rwy Railway. 

Sec Secretary. 

Sept September. 

Sts., Streets. 

Supt Superintendent. 

Treas Treasurer. 

ult last  month. 

viz namely ;  to  wit. 

The  following  are  the  abbreviations  for  the  states,  terri- 
tories, and  possessions  of  the  United  States  recommended  by  the 
United  States  government : — 

Ala.  Alabama. 

Alaska.  Alaska  Territory 

Ariz.  Arizona  Territory 

Ark.  Arkansas. 

Cal.,  Calif.  California. 

Col.,  Colo.  Colorado. 

Conn.  Connecticut. 

Del.  Delaware. 


166 


HANDBOOK   OF 

D.  C. 

District  of  Columbia. 

Fla. 

Florida. 

Ga. 

Georgia. 

H.  T. 

Hawaiian  Territory. 

111. 

Illinois. 

Ind. 

Indiana. 

Kan.,  Kans'. 

Kansas. 

Ky. 

Kentucky. 

La. 

Louisiana. 

Me. 

'     Maine. 

Md. 

Maryland. 

Mass. 

Massachusetts. 

Mich. 

•            Michigan. 

Minn. 

Minnesota. 

Miss. 

Mississippi. 

Mo. 

Missouri. 

Mont. 

Montana. 

Neb. 

Nebraska. 

Nev. 

Nevada. 

N.  H. 

New  Hampshire. 

N.  J. 

New  Jersey. 

N.  Mex. 

New  Mexico  Territory 

N.  Y. 

New  York. 

N.  C. 

North  Carolina. 

N.  Dak. 

North  Dakota. 

Okla. 

Oklahoma  Territory. 

Ore.,  Oreg., 

Oregon. 

Pa. 

Pennsylvania. 

P.  I. 

Philippine  Islands. 

P.  E. 

Porto  Rico. 

R.  I. 

Rhode  Island. 

S.  C. 

South  Carolina. 

S.  Dak. 

South  Dakota. 

Tenn. 

Tennessee. 

Tex. 

Texas. 

Vt. 

Vermont. 

Va. 

Virginia. 

Wash. 

Washington. 

W.  Va. 

West  Virginia. 

Wis. 

Wisconsin. 

Wyo. 

Wyoming. 

Guam,  Idaho,  Iowa,  Samoa  ani  Utah  are  not  abbreviated. 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


167 


INDEX 


Accents    150,151 

A.djectives 68-75 

Agreement  of   70 

Classes  of 68 

Articles    69 

Descriptive 68 

Limiting    68-71 

Numerals    69 

Pronominals    69 

Comparison  of    69-75 

Adverbs    94-96 

Aids  in  use  of 95,  96 

Comparison  of 94 

Advertising    28-30 

Apostrophe 150 

Articles   69 

Aids  in  the  use  of  ... .  71 

Brace  151 

Capitalization 103-108 

Caret    151 

Cedilla  151 

Colon   119-122 

Comma    126-143 

Compounds 23-25 

Hyphen,  use  of  the 23 

Conjugation  of  the  verb 

study    160-163 

Conjunctions    99,  100 

Aids  in  the  use  of 99, 100 

Classes  of 99 

Co-ordinate    99 

Subordinate   99 

Correspondence    1-15 

Correspondence  hints  ....      9-11 
Credits  and  collections  . .  11 

Dash 146-148 

Diaeresis    151 

Exclamation  Point 115, 116 

Gerund 33 


Hyphen   23-25 

Interjections    100 

Aids  in  the  use  of 100-102 

Interrogation  Point 117 

Letters 
Acknow^ledging     remit- 
tance      25 

Advertising    28-30 

Application 157 

Asking  favor 110 

Bearing  remittance  ...  12 
Calling  attention  to  an 

error 100 

Censuring  an  agent  . .  102, 103 
Circular  letter  advertis- 
ing Shorthand  De- 
partment       156 

Complimentary  close  . .  5 
Describing       the       re- 
sources of  a  local- 
ity       157 

Dunning  No  1   54 

Dunning  No.  2 67 

Enclosures    6 

Envelopes    6 

Filing 13-15 

Folding    6 

Follow^  up 156 

Formal  notes  and  invi- 
tations    157-159 

Framew^ork    1 

Essentials 1 

Heading 1 

Address   1 

Salutation    1 

Body     1 

Compli  m  e  n  t  a  r  y 

close 1 

Signature    1 

Model       for       ordering 

goods    21,22 

Of   introduction   72 

Eef usal  of  credit  .....  42 
Request    for    extenfion 

of  time   85 


168 


HANDBOOK  OP 


Kequesting  information  123 
Eequisites    of    business 

letter    7 

Soliciting      advertising 

space    15? 

Soliciting  a  partner  . .  120, 121 
Stating  inability  to  fill 

an  order   48 

Telegrams 159 

Nouns 31 

Classes  of 31 

Abstract    31 

Collective    31 

Concrete    31 

Verbal   31 

Case   37-41 

Declension  of 42 

Gender 37 

Number  32 

Person   32 

Plurals   of    33-36 

Orthography    43 

Parenthesis    148-150 

Parts  of  speech 31 

Period,  the    108-110 

Plurals,  formation  of  . . .  44,  45 

Prepositions 97,  98 

Aids  in  the  use  of 97,  98 

Pronouns 48-67 

Adjective 65-67 

Agreement  in  gender  .  54 
Agreement  of  w^ith  an- 
tecedent    51 

Aids  to  correct  use  of  50-67 

Antecedents,  the    48-52 

Case  of 55 

Classes 49 

Compound  personal  ...  58 

Declension  of  personal.  49 

Emphatic    58 

Interrogative 61 

Reflexive   58 

Relative 62-64 

Proof  reader's  marks    . .  13 

Quotation  Marks Ill,  112 


Remittances 12 

gemicolon 124-126 

Sentence  structure 16 

Forms  of  sentences  ...  18 

Kinds  of  sentences  ....  18 

Phrases  and  Clauses  . .  16, 17 

Subordinate  elements  .  16 

Spelling,    drill   in    43-48 

Spelling,  general  rules  for  45 

Syllabification    25-27 

Bynonyms   19 

ffelegrams 159 

Verbs     76-93 

Aids  for  the  agree- 
ment of    80-82 

Auxiliary 79 

Aids  to 86-87 

Classes  of 76 

Conjugation   79 

Form    79 

Mode    77, 78 

Aids  to 84 

Model    conjugation    of 

the  word  study  . . .  160-163 

Participles    91-93 

Person  and  number  ...  79 
Suggestions  on  the  verbs 

Lie  and  Lay 88-91 

Suggestions  on  the  verbs 

Rise  and  Raise  . . .  88-91 
Suggestions  on  the  verbs 

Sit  and  Set 88-91 

Suggestions  on  the  verbs 

Fall  and  Fell    88-91 

Suggestions  on  the  verbs 

Fly  and  Flow 88-91 

Tense   78,79 

Aids  to 85 

Voice    77 

Words,  how  to  use  them.  20 

Word  study,  essentials  of  19 

Definition    19 

Orthography    19 

Pronunciation  19 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


169 


SYNONYMS,  EXAMPLES  OF 


Abbreviation    . 

Affect , 

Appertain   

Apt   , 

Attend 

Aught 

Awaken , 

Believe , 

Bid    

Blame 

Brave , 

Call 

Censure   , 

Cheap , 

Condemn  . . . . , 
Contagious   . . , 
Contraction    . 
Courageous    . , 

Delicious 

Delightful 

Discern 

Discommode  . 
Discover    .... 

Effect 

Evidence   .... 

Excite    

Foolhardy  ... 

Ground    

Healthful    ... 

Healthy 

Harken    

Honorable 

Honorary    

Incommode  . 
Inconvenience 
Infectious  ... 
Ingenious  ... 
Ingenuous  ... 

Intellect    

Intelligent    . . , 
Intelligible  . . , 

Intend 

Intention    ... 

Invention    

Invite 

Involve     

Implicate    

Kind 

Lend    

Liable    

Likely    


65 
58 
65 
38 
33 
33 
43 
65 
51 
51 
20 
51 
51 
48 
51 
51 
65 
20 
51 
51 
65 
58 
54 
58 
51 
42 
20 
65 
43 
43 
33 
65 
65 
58 
58 
51 
38 
38 
53 
58 
58 
36 
20 
54 
51 
38 
38 
53 
36 
38 
38 


Listen    

Loan     

Locality     . . . 

Lonely    

Lovs^  priced  . 

Lunch     

Luncheon  . . 
Luxuriant  . 
Luxurious  . 
Majority    . . . 

Mean    

Mind     

Ministry  . . . 
Mission  . . . , 
Naught  . . . . 
Observance 
Observation 
Occasion  . . . 
Occurred     . . 

Office    

Official 

Opinion  . . . . 
Opportunity 

Ought     

Part    

Perceive    . . . 
Perspective 
Pertain    . . . . 
Plurality  . . . 

Portion    

Possible  . . . . 
Practicable 
Practical     . . 
Probable   . . . 

Propose   

Prospective 
Provoke  . . . . 
Purpose  . . . . 

Rash 

Room    

Sentiment  . 
Solitary  . . . . 

Sort    

Space   

Stir  up . 

Summer  . . . . 
Testimony  . 
Transpire  . , 
Variety  . . . . 
Wholesome 


33 
36 
65 
48 
48 
48 
48 
48 
48 
60 
36 
54 
20 
20 
33 
61 
61 
20 
65 
36 
36 
60 
20 
33 
61 
65 
68 
65 
60 
61 
20 
20 
20 
20 
36 
58 
42 
20 
20 
65 
60 
48 
53 
65 
42 
51 
51 
65 
53 
43 


170 


HANDBOOK   OF 


WORDS  OFTEN  MISUSED 


Abundant 72 

Accept   119 

Acid    72 

Active    72 

Adjacent   72 

Adjoining-    72 

Aged     80 

Alleviate   119 

Allow   133 

Ancient    80 

Antiquated   80 

Antique 80 

Artful 72 

Authentic   72 

Banish 133 

Bashfulness    76 

Beautiful 110 

Begin     133 

Belief... 83 

Beneficent 110 

Benevolent 110 

Bright    75 

Brilliant    75 

Busy 72 

Clean 76 

Cleanly    76 

Close    119 

Commence 133 

Competent 76 

Confidence    83 

Contiguous 72 

Copious 72 

Decide 68 

Deceitful    72 

Designing     72 

Determine    68 

Difficult     112 

Diffidence    76 

Distribute 119 

Divide     119 

Effeminate   110 

Efficient     83 

Empty    83 

Endemic 108 

Envious     108 

Epidemic     108 

Epistle    68 

Expatriate     133 


Expel    133 

Extraordinary     108 

Extravagant    110 

Faith 83 

Female    110 

Feminine    110 

Fix    68 

Garrulous   112 

Generous     110 

Genuine     72 

Godly     112 

Grand     80 

Great    80 

Handsome     110 

Hard 112 

Jealous 108 

Lawful 119 

Legal      119 

Liberal, 110 

Loquacious     112 

Magnificant    80 

Message    68 

Modesty    76 

Narrate   83 

Note   68 

Noted     119 

Notorious    119 

Permit 133 

Plentiful     72 

Pliable 133 

Pliant    133 

Precede    68 

Pretty    110 

Procedure     114 

Proceed    68 

Proceeding 114 

Prodigal HO 

Proficient 83 

Proposal    114 

Proposition    114 

Qualified     76 

Rare   113 

Kavenous    . 113 

Receive    119 

Recline    119 

Recommend    68 

Recommendation     ....  68 

Rehearse     83 


COMMERCIAL  ENGLISH 


171 


Belate    83 

Relation    115 

Eelative     114 

Eelieve 119 

Eemarkable    108 

Repose     119 

Requirement      115 

Requisite 115 

Reserve    76 

Righteous   112 

Scare    133 

Sensible 133 

Sensitive  133 

Settle  68 


Sewage    115 

Sewerage    115 

Share   119 

Shut     119 

Sour   73 

Stationary    68 

Stationery 68 

Sublime  80 

Talkative 112 

Tell    83 

Transport     133 

Trust    83 

Vacant 83 

Voracious   133 


/ 


•  U     ODvJUO 


